US seizes Russian-flagged oil tanker linked to Venezuela
By Nic Robertson, Natasha Bertrand, CNN
(CNN) — The US has seized an oil tanker linked to Venezuela after tracking it across the Atlantic, according to a social media post from US European Command.
Originally called the Bella 1, the tanker was sanctioned by the US in 2024 for operating within a “shadow fleet” of tankers transporting illicit oil.
News of the seizure was first reported Wednesday by Reuters, which quoted two sources as saying the operation was being carried out by the Coast Guard and US military.
The Russian military had started to move around naval assets and a Russian submarine to protect the Bella 1 leading up to the US seizure of the tanker, according to a US official. But it’s unclear how close those vessels were to the tanker when it was seized on Wednesday, the source said.
The tanker was seized by the US is roughly 190 miles off the southern coast of Iceland in the northern Atlantic Ocean, according to ship-tracking website MarineTraffic.
The site shows the tanker taking a sharp turn south around the time that reports emerged of its seizure.
US Navy SEALs were among the US forces that boarded and the tanker, according to two people briefed on the operation.
The SEALs were transported to the tanker by the US Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, also known as the “night stalkers,” the people said.
The Pentagon declined to comment, saying it does not confirm or comment on Special Operations Forces assets.
The US separately seized another vessel in the Caribbean on Wednesday, the US Southern Command announced on X. Southern Command said the vessel is considered to be stateless and alleged that it was “conducting illicit activities.”
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem celebrated the two seizures in a social media post, saying, “The world’s criminals are on notice. You can run, but you can’t hide. We will never relent in our mission to protect the American people and disrupt the funding of narco terrorism wherever we find it, period.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday that President Donald Trump is “not afraid” to continue seizing sanctioned oil tankers despite concerns that it could ratchet up tensions with Russia and China.
“He’s going to enforce our policy that’s best for the United States of America,” she told reporters during a press briefing. “That means enforcing the embargo against all dark fleet vessels that are illegally transporting oil.”
The US Coast Guard had tried to seize the Bella 1 tanker last month when it was near Venezuela, but US forces did not board it after the ship turned around and fled.
In a social media post Wednesday, Attorney General Pam Bondi said that the crew of the tanker were “under full investigation and criminal charges will be pursued against all culpable actors” as a result of their failure to obey Coast Guard orders. Bondi said crews of other sanctioned tankers would face potential prosecution if they failed to “obey instructions” of the Coast Guard or other federal officials.
The US continued to pursue the vessel as it headed northeast, and US P-8 surveillance aircraft were deployed out of RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, England, to surveil the tanker for days ahead of its seizure as it made its way north and past the UK coast, according to open-source flight data.
Noem also said in the social media post that the US Coast Guard Cutter Munro had been following the ship “across the high seas and through treacherous storms— keeping diligent watch, and protecting our country with the determination and patriotism that make Americans proud.”
At some point while being pursued, the crew of the tanker painted a Russian flag on its hull, claiming it was sailing under Russian protection.
Shortly thereafter, the vessel appeared on Russia’s official register of ships under a new name — the Marinera. Russia filed a formal diplomatic request last month demanding that the US stop pursuing the vessel.
By claiming Russian status, the legalities of seizing the tanker became more complicated, but two sources familiar with the matter said the Trump administration hasn’t recognized that status and considers the vessel to be stateless.
At a briefing with key lawmakers Monday, Rubio said the US believed Russia could not just claim the tanker, according to a source familiar with the briefing. Rubio discussed the matter only briefly and he did not make clear if the message was conveyed directly to the Russian government.
The US repositioned military assets to the UK ahead of seizing the tanker, CNN has reported.
At least 12 US C-17s landed at Fairford and Lakenheath airbases between January 3 and 5, many originating from airfields in the US.
V-22 Ospreys were also active in the UK over the past several days, with flight data appearing to show them running training missions in the eastern UK out of Fairford air base. And two AC-130 gunships were seen arriving at Mildenhall base in the UK on Sunday.
The UK provided support to the US, according to the British defense ministry.
“UK Armed Forces provided pre-planned operational support, including basing, to US military assets interdicting the Bella 1 in the UK-Iceland-Greenland gap following a US request for assistance,” the ministry said in a statement.
The UK’s RFA Tideforce tanker provided support for US forces “pursuing and interdicting” the vessel, while its air force “provided surveillance support from the air,” it continued.
The US last used Special Operations Forces and assets to help interdict a sanctioned tanker on December 11, when it supported a US Coast Guard operation near the coast of Venezuela to seize the Skipper, a very large crude carrier that was falsely flying Guyana’s flag.
Trump last month announced a “complete blockade” on sanctioned oil tankers attempting to enter or leave Venezuela, as a way to pressure the regime of then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
The US captured Maduro from a compound in Caracas early Saturday morning, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said the US will continue to enforce the blockade as “leverage” over the interim Venezuelan government.
CNN’s Kylie Atwood, Jennifer Hansler, Kaanita Iyer, Nick Paton Walsh Catherine Nicholls, Adam Cancryn and Gianluca Mezzofiore contributed to this report.
The headline and story have been updated with additional developments.
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