US seizes Venezuela-linked oil tanker protected by Russian navy

The United States on Wednesday seized a Russia-flagged oil tanker that, Bella-1, which was being protected by Russian warships and a submarine.

The US military’s Europe Command said it joined the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security to seize the ship for violating US sanctions.

The ship was seized in the North Atlantic on the basis of a warrant issued by a US federal court after being tracked by the US Coast Guard, the statement read.

“This seizure supports President Donald Trump’s proclamation targeting sanctioned vessels that threaten the security and stability of the Western hemisphere. The operation was executed by DHS components with support from Department of War, showcasing a whole-of-government approach to protect the homeland,” the Europe Command said.

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Earlier in the day, officials had told Reuters that Russian military vessels, including a submarine, were in the general vicinity when the operation took place.

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 vessel was seized in the North Atlantic pursuant to a warrant issued by a U.S. federal court after being tracked by USCGC Munro. pic.twitter.com/bm5KcCK30X

— U.S. European Command (@US_EUCOM) January 7, 2026

Separately, Russian state-controlled RT reported a source as saying that military forces, presumably American, were attempting to board the ship.

RT also shared visuals of the attempted seizure. The visuals could not be immediately verified.

❗️ Military forces, presumably American, are attempting to board Russian-flagged civilian tanker 'Marinera' RIGHT NOW — RT source

RT has obtained first exclusive visual confirmation of the boarding attempt https://t.co/lWf62lN7hH pic.twitter.com/rn9xfLmNxi

— RT (@RT_com) January 7, 2026

Last month, Bella-1 fled the American blockade of Venezuela. The US Coast Guard has been pursuing the ship for two weeks.

As a result of the American pursuit, Bella-1 could not dock in Venezuela to load oil. The empty, rusty ship slipped past the blockade and an initial attempt to board it last month failed.

After evading the blockade, Bella-1 changed its registration to Russia, hoisted a Russian flag, and adopted the name Marinera.

As per the latest information, the ship was near Iceland in the Atlantic Ocean and heading towards Russia.

When the US Coast Guard began its pursuit two weeks ago, the ship was accused of carrying black-market Iranian and Russian oil on behalf of US-designated terrorist organisations aligned with the Iranian regime, according to the Wall Street Journal.

After registering the ship under its jurisdiction, the Russian government and state media have come to its defence. While the government expressed concerns about the pursuit, state media argued that the American chase is unjustified.

The confrontation over the tanker marks a rare face-off between Russia and the United States during President Donald Trump’s second term as the two governments have developed a close relationship since January in a reversal of decades of rivalry.

The Bella-1 was the second Venezuela-linked ship to be seized on Thursday, according to a US official.

Earlier in the day, the US Coast Guard intercepted another oil tanker in the Caribbean, M Sophia, which was falsely flying a Cameroonian flag, the official told The New York Times.