Washington , 08 January (H.S.): United States naval forces executed a high-stakes operation on Wednesday, seizing the Russian-flagged oil tanker Marinera—formerly known as Bella-1—in the North Atlantic between Iceland and the British Isles, capping a tense two-week pursuit that underscored escalating tensions over Venezuela's sanctioned oil trade.

The U.S. Coast Guard, supported by military assets including the cutter USCGC Munro and special operations helicopters, boarded the vessel pursuant to a federal court warrant for sanctions violations linked to illicit Venezuelan and Iranian oil shipments.

Pursuit Timeline

The saga began on December 20, 2025, when the USCGC Munro attempted to intercept the then-Panama-flagged Bella-1 in the Caribbean Sea near Venezuela, as part of President Donald Trump's intensified blockade against the Maduro regime's shadow fleet of tankers evading sanctions.

Crew members refused boarding, prompting the ship to flee eastward across the Atlantic; by December 24, it rebranded as Marinera, hoisted a Russian flag with fresh paint, and secured temporary registration from Russia's Maritime Register out of Sochi.

Russian naval vessels, including a submarine, shadowed the tanker to deter U.S. action, though no direct confrontation occurred, according to U.S. officials.

Russian Condemnation

Moscow swiftly decried the seizure as ouright piracy and a breach of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which guarantees freedom of navigation on the high seas. Russia's Transport Ministry reported lost contact with the Marinera around 3 p.m. Moscow time (1200 GMT) on January 7, after U.S. forces boarded outside any nation's territorial waters, while the Foreign Ministry demanded humane and dignified treatment for the Russian crew and their prompt repatriation.

Senior lawmaker Andrei Klishas of the United Russia party labeled the incident a provocative extension of U.S. law enforcement operations in Venezuela that recently ousted ally Nicolás Maduro.

Broader Geopolitical Context

This seizure forms part of a U.S. pressure campaign against Venezuela, including the January 3 special forces raid capturing Maduro on drug charges and multiple tanker interdictions like the Skipper on December 10.

Amid thawing U.S.-Russia ties under Trump's second term, the event risks renewed friction, echoing rare incidents such as the 2023 Black Sea drone collision, even as both powers navigate the Ukraine conflict. The U.S. also captured a second tanker, M/T Sophia, in the Caribbean on the same day for similar illicit activities.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar