U.S. forces seize Russian-flagged tanker after Atlantic pursuit

Wednesday 07 January 2026 - 15:20

By: Dakir Madiha

U.S. forces seize Russian-flagged tanker after Atlantic pursuit

U.S. military and Coast Guard personnel boarded the Marinera, a Russian-flagged tanker tied to Venezuela, in the North Atlantic on January 7 before Russian naval escorts arrived, according to American officials. This seizure caps a dramatic two-week chase across the Atlantic and signals a sharp escalation in tensions between Washington and Moscow over Venezuela's shadow fleet oil trade. Special operations forces from the elite 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment used MH-6 Little Bird helicopters for the boarding, with Russian state media airing footage of the aircraft near the vessel. U.S. authorities confirmed boarding teams, including Coast Guard members, secured the tanker ahead of arriving Russian surface ships and submarine.

The ship, originally Bella 1, tried evading capture by painting a Russian flag on its hull and re-registering with Russia after rebuffing a U.S. Coast Guard interception in the Caribbean late December. Sanctioned by the U.S. since June 2024 for hauling illicit Iranian and Venezuelan oil, the empty tanker headed toward European waters when intercepted between Iceland and Scotland. Russia's Foreign Ministry had warned the pursuit was "clearly disproportionate" and demanded the U.S. end the hunt for a vessel under Russian protection. The Kremlin dispatched a submarine and other naval assets to escort it, per reports from The Wall Street Journal and others. U.S. forces completed the boarding before Russian military ships reached the area.

The action fits President Donald Trump's December 16, 2025, order for a "total and complete blockade" of sanctioned tankers entering or exiting Venezuela. The administration deployed thousands of troops, a carrier strike group, and special operations units in the Caribbean to enforce it. This follows the December 11 seizure of another sanctioned tanker, the Skipper, boarded by U.S. forces via helicopters from the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier while carrying about 2 million barrels of Venezuelan crude. Maritime tracking data showed the Marinera making a sharp southward turn and slowing from nine to eight knots just before the boarding operation began. The tanker's capture removes another vessel from Venezuela's shadow fleet used to skirt international sanctions on oil exports.