The US military seized a Russian-flagged North Atlantic oil tanker after it sailed off Venezuela last month. Later on Wednesday, US officials said they had seized a second tanker in the Caribbean Sea.
The first vessel was first chased by the US Coast Guard in December 2025 after trying to evade the US blockade of Venezuela. The ship refused to board when the US Coast Guard tried to seize it.
The vessel is one of the authorized oil tankers that operated near Venezuela within the “shadow fleet,” and had been under US surveillance since 2024 for allegedly transporting illegal cargo from a company linked to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
IM/V Bella 1 was seized by the US military on Wednesday in the North Atlantic.
US European Command / X
The tanker had recently changed its name from Bella 1 to Marinera and adopted the Russian flag.
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Earlier on Wednesday, open-source ocean tracking sites showed their location between Scotland and Iceland, heading north. The American official also confirmed to the Associated Press that the ship was in the North Atlantic.
US military jets flew over the ship, and on Tuesday, a Royal Air Force surveillance plane was spotted tracking a plane flying in the same area.
The second ship “without condition” was caught in international waters early Wednesday, the US Southern Command announced on X.
“Through Operation Southern Spear, the Department of the Army is unwavering in its mission to end illegal activity in the Western Hemisphere. We will defend our country and restore security and strength to the entire Americas,” the text read.
Footage of the attack shows a helicopter hovering above the oil tanker.
The IM/T Sophia was operating in international waters and engaged in illegal activities in the Caribbean Sea, according to the US military.
US Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the series of seizures were “carefully coordinated” by the US Coast Guard, the Department of Defense, the Department of Justice and the Department of State. He also noted that the name Bella 1 had been changed and the hull repainted “in an attempt to evade justice.”
“The criminals of the world have been noticed. You can run, but you can’t hide,” Noem warned. “We will never back down from our mission to protect the American people and disrupt the financing of narco-terror wherever we find them, long term. This is our nation’s greatest military at its best. This is America first at sea,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the country would continue to enforce the embargo on the sanctioned vessels, which he said were “stealing from the Venezuelan people.”
“Only legal and legitimate energy trading—as determined by the US—will be allowed,” he continued.
The seizure of these tanks comes a few days after US forces attacked the Venezuelan capital Caracas and kidnapped President Nicolás Maduro and his wife.
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This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
– Via files from the Associated Press
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