The United States has seized the Bella 1, a sanctioned oil tanker it has been pursuing since December 2025, according to U.S. European Command.
The U.S. has been pursuing the Bella 1, also known as the Marinera tanker, from Venezuela. The Coast Guard used a seizure warrant in late December to stop the tanker in the Caribbean Sea based on concerns it was not flying a valid national flag. But the ship refused to be boarded and sailed into the Atlantic, sparking the U.S. pursuit. Since then, the ship has registered under a Russian flag, and Russia has deployed Navy assets to protect a sanctioned oil tanker as it attempted to escape the pursuit from the U.S.
“The @TheJusticeDept & @DHSgov, in coordination with the @DeptofWar today announced the seizure of the M/V Bella 1 for violations of U.S. sanctions,” the announcement read. “The vessel was seized in the North Atlantic pursuant to a warrant issued by a U.S. federal court after being tracked by USCGC Munro.”
The operation was carried out by the U.S. military, according to Reuters.
U.S. European Command characterized the operation as part of President Donald Trump’s focus on “targeting sanctioned vessels that threaten the security and stability of the Western Hemisphere.”
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth praised the news, saying, “The blockade of sanctioned and illicit Venezuelan oil remains in FULL EFFECT — anywhere in the world.”
Moscow reportedly sent a submarine escort and other naval assets to guard the Marinera tanker, but no Russian vessels were in the vicinity when U.S. personnel captured the ship, according to the New York Times.
The development marks an escalation of the U.S.’s expanded efforts in recent months to crack down on hundreds of sanctioned oil tankers being illegally operated by Russia, Iran, and Venezuela, which are known internationally as the “shadow” fleet.
Another vessel was detained in the Caribbean Ocean by U.S. forces Wednesday morning, named the M/T Sophia, according to U.S. Southern Command. They characterized it as a “stateless, sanctioned dark fleet motor tanker.”
“The interdicted vessel, M/T Sophia, was operating in international waters and conducting illicit activities in the Caribbean Sea,” the announcement of the seizure read. “The U.S. Coast Guard is escorting M/T Sophia to the U.S. for final disposition.”
The move follows a previous mission to seize a Venezuelan-linked oil tanker known as the Skipper in December. That vessel was flying under a Guyanese flag, similar to the latest ship reportedly being pursued by U.S. forces in the North Atlantic.
After the pursuit began in December, the Bella 1 switched to a Russian registry and painted a Russian flag on its hull. It is one of a total of 18 U.S.-sanctioned oil tankers that have recently switched to register under Moscow, complicating efforts to capture them, according to the BBC.
The Marinera tanker started its journey in Iran and had been on its way to pick up oil in Venezuela before abruptly changing its course, name, and registration to avoid a partial U.S. naval blockage around Venezuela, according to the New York Times.
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On Wednesday, footage of the vessel released by Russian state broadcaster RT, which has been reviewed by the BBC and other outlets, appears to show the Coast Guard closing in on the vessel.
The Washington Examiner reached out to the Pentagon for comment.
