US seizes two sanctioned oil tankers linked to Venezuela in the North Atlantic and Caribbean

The United States has seized two sanctioned oil tankers linked to Venezuela in back-to-back operations in the North Atlantic and Caribbean, officials revealed early Wednesday morning.

The US European Command announced the seizure of the merchant vessel Bella 1 for “violations of US sanctions” in a message posted on social media. The United States had been pursuing the tanker since last month, after it attempted to evade a U.S. blockade on sanctioned oil ships around Venezuela.

Then, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem revealed that U.S. forces had also taken control of the tanker Sophia in the Caribbean in a social media post. Noem said the two ships were “either docked for the last time in Venezuela or en route to that country.”

The U.S. military seized the Bella 1 and then handed control of it over to law enforcement, said a U.S. official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity on Wednesday to discuss sensitive military operations.

The ship was sanctioned by the United States in 2024 for allegedly smuggling goods for a company linked to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. The U.S. Coast Guard attempted to board it in the Caribbean in December as it headed to Venezuela, which the Trump administration placed under naval blockade. The ship refused boarding and crossed the Atlantic.

Meanwhile, the Bella 1 was renamed the Marinera and flown under the Russian flag, according to maritime databases. The US official also confirmed that the ship’s crew had painted a Russian flag on the side of the hull.

Earlier on Wednesday, open source maritime tracking sites showed its position between Scotland and Iceland, heading north. The US official also confirmed that the ship was in the North Atlantic.

US military planes flew over the ship, and on Tuesday a Royal Air Force surveillance plane was shown on flight tracking sites flying over the same area.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said before the seizure that it was “following with concern the abnormal situation that has developed around the Russian tanker Marinera.”

The ministry’s press release, taken up by the official Tass news agency, adds that “for several days, a US coast guard ship has been following the Marinera, even though our ship is approximately 4,000 kilometers from the US coast.”

WATCH | A US strike hit a dock during an earlier pursuit of a sanctioned oil tanker:

Trump says US strike hit Venezuela

CNN, citing sources, reported that the CIA carried out a drone strike earlier this month on a port facility on the coast of Venezuela. US President Donald Trump said the United States had struck a facility where boats accused of transporting drugs were being loaded.

In a social media post, U.S. European Command confirmed that the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Munro tracked the vessel before its seizure “pursuant to a warrant issued by a U.S. federal court.”

The military command added that the seizure supports President Donald Trump’s proclamation to target sanctioned vessels that “threaten the security and stability of the Western Hemisphere.” The seizure of the tanker comes just days after U.S. military forces carried out a surprise nighttime raid on the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, and Captured President Nicolas Maduro and his wife.

Following the raid, Trump’s Republican administration officials said they planned to continue seizing sanctioned vessels linked to the country.

“We are enforcing U.S. laws on oil sanctions,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on NBC on Sunday. “We’re going to court. We’re getting a warrant. We’re seizing these boats with oil. And it’s going to continue.”