US seizes Russian-flagged vessel: Oil tanker linked to Venezuela; Moscow submarine, warship nearby

The United States seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker with links to Venezuela after a more than two-week-long pursuit across the Atlantic. In a post on X, the US European Command said that the Justice department and department of war has taken out the operation to seize the Bella 1 for violation of sanctions.“The @TheJusticeDept & @DHSgov, in coordination with the @DeptofWar today announced the seizure of the M/V Bella 1 for violations of US sanctions. The vessel was seized in the North Atlantic pursuant to a warrant issued by a US federal court after being tracked by USCGC Munro,” it said.
The US had been pursuing the tanker since last month after it tried to evade a US blockade around Venezuela, AP reported. They added that Russian military vessels were in the general vicinity of the operation, including a Russian submarine. It was unclear how close the vessels were to the operation, which was taking place close to Iceland.The US Coast Guard first attempted to intercept the vessel last month, but it refused to be boarded. Since then, it registered under a Russian flag, Reuters reported.The tanker, now known as the Marinera, was the latest tanker targeted by the US Coast Guard since the start of US President Donald Trump’s pressure campaign against Venezuela.Separately, the US Coast Guard also intercepted another Venezuela-linked tanker in Latin American waters, US officials told Reuters, as the US continued enforcing a maritime “blockade” of sanctioned vessels from Venezuela.Is it really a Russian tanker?The US Coast Guard tried to seize the tanker originally called the Bella 1 last month near Venezuela, but US forces were unable to board it after the ship turned around and fled.The US continued to pursue the vessel as it headed northeast, and US P-8 surveillance aircraft were deployed out of RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, England, to surveil the tanker for days ahead of its seizure as it made its way north and past the UK coast, according to open-source flight data.At some point while being pursued, the crew of the tanker painted a Russian flag on its hull and claimed it was sailing under Russian protection. Shortly thereafter, the vessel appeared on Russia’s official register of ships under a new name, the Marinera.Russia filed a formal diplomatic request last month demanding that the US stop pursuing the vessel.The tanker was sanctioned by the US in 2024 for operating within a “shadow fleet” of tankers transporting illicit oil.By claiming Russian status, the legalities of seizing the tanker could become more complicated, but two sources familiar with the matter said the Trump administration hasn’t recognised that status and considers the vessel to be stateless.UK ‘again’ choose not to comment on US activitiesAfter not commenting on Venezuela strikes, the UK said that they wont comment against the US operation involving the Venezuela-linked Marinera oil tanker. The prime minister’s official spokesperson said Downing Street won’t comment on the US operation involving the Venezuela-linked Marinera oil tanker.“We don’t comment on the operational activity of other nations, including the third party use of UK bases”, the spokesperson told reporters when asked about the tanker in the regular Wednesday briefing following Prime Minister’s Questions, adding that the was “a long-standing position” of UK governments.At least 11 C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft and two heavily armed AC-130J Ghostrider gunships landed at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire and RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk since Saturday. The Globemasters were rumoured to have been carrying at least five MH-60M Black Hawk helicopters and one MH-47G Chinook, which are used for special forces operations. The helicopters were spotted in British hangars, according to The Times. The aircraft arrived at the bases, which are shared by the Royal Air Force and the US Air Force, shortly after American special forces captured President Maduro of Venezuela in a weekend raid.