US forces seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the North Atlantic on January 7, 2026, after chasing it for more than two weeks as part of Washington’s campaign to block Venezuelan oil exports. Russian naval vessels, including a submarine, were operating in the area, in what appeared to be one of the most direct encounters between US and Russian forces in recent memory.

A two-week chase

The tanker, the Marinera, was formerly known as the Bella 1 and had been under US sanctions since 2024 over alleged links to Iran and Hezbollah. It slipped through a US blockade of sanctioned tankers in the Caribbean and rebuffed a Coast Guard boarding attempt off Venezuela, then switched its registration to Russia and changed its name. Its crew reportedly painted a Russian flag on the hull.

US officials said the Coast Guard and the military carried out the operation near Iceland, with special forces helping to secure the ship before handing it to the Coast Guard. US European Command said the vessel “was seized in the North Atlantic pursuant to a warrant issued by a US federal court.” There were no signs of a confrontation with the Russian vessels nearby. The US also intercepted a second sanctioned tanker, the Sophia, in Latin American waters the same day.

“The blockade of sanctioned and illicit Venezuelan oil remains in FULL EFFECT – anywhere in the world,” said US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Moscow cries foul

Russia’s Transport Ministry said it lost contact with the ship after US forces boarded it and insisted that no state may use force against vessels registered in another country on the high seas. Senior lawmaker Andrei Klishas called the seizure “outright piracy.”

Venezuela and the shadow fleet

The seizure came days after US special forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas and flew him to New York to face drug charges. President Donald Trump has said the US will control Venezuela’s oil sales, with 30 to 50 million barrels of sanctioned crude to be shipped to US ports. Washington describes vessels like the Marinera as part of a “shadow fleet” that moves oil for Venezuela, Russia and Iran in breach of sanctions.

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