The United States has seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the North Atlantic after tracking the vessel from waters near Venezuela, a move that has drawn strong criticism from Moscow and heightened tensions over global sanctions enforcement.
US authorities say the tanker forms part of a network of vessels used to transport sanctioned oil for countries such as Venezuela, Russia and Iran. Despite travelling under Russian escort, the ship was boarded and taken into US custody under a warrant issued by a federal court.
The operation followed an earlier failed attempt to intercept the tanker near Venezuela late last month. The vessel, which recently changed its name from Bella-1 to Marinera and switched its registration to Russia, has been under US sanctions since 2024 for alleged links to Iranian and Hezbollah-connected oil operations. It was reportedly headed for Venezuela when it initially evaded the US blockade.
The US also confirmed that a second sanctioned tanker had been seized in the Caribbean Sea as part of the same enforcement push. Footage released by American authorities showed armed personnel descending from a helicopter onto one of the targeted vessels during boarding operations.
These actions come just days after US special forces removed Nicolás Maduro and his wife from Caracas and transported them to New York to face drug-related charges. Since then, Washington has tightened its grip on Venezuelan oil flows. US officials have indicated that American companies will assume control of Venezuela’s oil industry, with planned shipments of millions of barrels of crude expected to move through US-controlled channels.
The situation has caused uncertainty in Venezuela, where an interim government led by Delcy Rodriguez is attempting to stabilise conditions following days of limited public transport and shuttered businesses. Rodriguez, a long-time member of Maduro’s inner circle, has signalled her willingness to cooperate with the United States amid concerns that further regime-change efforts may follow.
Despite Russia’s objections and its deployment of naval assets to accompany the tanker, the US has made it clear that it intends to enforce its sanctions globally. Officials have stated that Washington will maintain control over Venezuelan oil sales indefinitely, although questions remain about the legal basis for this stance and whether Venezuela’s interim leadership has agreed to such an arrangement.
The seizures mark an escalation in the geopolitical contest around sanctioned oil, with Washington signalling that it will pursue vessels linked to restricted regimes regardless of where they operate on the world’s oceans.
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