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The United States has seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker linked to Venezuelan oil exports following a weeks-long pursuit across the Atlantic Ocean. The seizure has drawn sharp condemnation from Russia.

U.S. officials said the tanker, Marinera, was captured on January 7, 2025, for violations of U.S. sanctions. Washington has intensified efforts to choke off Venezuela’s oil trade, particularly after the U.S. military operation that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

The seizure appeared to be the first known instance in recent memory of the U.S. military commandeering a Russian-flagged vessel on the high seas. The operation has drawn a sharp diplomatic response from Moscow, which accused Washington of violating international maritime law and freedom of navigation.

According to U.S. officials, American forces had been tracking and pursuing the Marinera for more than two weeks as part of a broader maritime operation targeting sanctioned oil shipments connected to Venezuela.

The tanker, formerly known as Bella-1, had slipped through a U.S.-led maritime “blockade” of vessels carrying Venezuelan oil and repeatedly rebuffed attempts by the U.S. Coast Guard to board it.

The U.S. military’s European Command said the tanker was seized on Wednesday “for violations of U.S. sanctions.” The operation took place in the North Atlantic, beyond the territorial waters of any state. American officials described the vessel as part of a “shadow fleet” used to move oil from sanctioned countries, including Venezuela, Russia, and Iran.

Russian state broadcaster RT reported that U.S. forces boarded the tanker from a helicopter, publishing an image of the aircraft hovering over the ship during the operation.

RT cited an unnamed source who said a U.S. Coast Guard vessel had been shadowing the Marinera for days, and that at least one earlier attempt to seize the ship had been made during stormy conditions.

In a pre-dawn action this morning, the Department of War, in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security, apprehended a stateless, sanctioned dark fleet motor tanker without incident.

The interdicted vessel, M/T Sophia, was operating in international waters and… pic.twitter.com/JQm9gHprPk

— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) January 7, 2026

Tracking data indicated the tanker was approaching Iceland’s exclusive economic zone when it was intercepted and boarded.

US Warns Global Sanctions

U.S. officials framed the seizure as part of an aggressive global enforcement campaign against sanctioned Venezuelan oil exports. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth underscored that position in a social media post following the operation.

“The blockade of sanctioned and illicit Venezuelan oil remains in FULL EFFECT – anywhere in the world,” Hegseth wrote.

American authorities say the Marinera had previously refused boarding in the Caribbean in December while en route to Venezuela, before turning eastward and attempting to cross the Atlantic.

The ship had been sanctioned by the United States in 2024 for allegedly smuggling cargo for a company linked to the Lebanese group Hezbollah, further elevating its profile for U.S. enforcement agencies.

The pursuit of the tanker reportedly began last month and intensified in the days leading up to the U.S. military operation that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Saturday.

Russian Submarine Nearby, No Confrontation Reported

As the operation unfolded, a Russian submarine and a Russian warship were reported to be operating in the vicinity of the tanker. However, there were no indications of any confrontation between U.S. and Russian forces during the seizure.

Russian authorities have not confirmed whether naval assets were deployed specifically to accompany or protect the Marinera. A journalist reporting from Moscow described the episode as a prolonged “cat-and-mouse game,” with at least two earlier attempts by U.S. forces to seize the tanker over the past several weeks.

Despite the presence of Russian military vessels nearby, U.S. officials said the operation proceeded without incident.

Russia Accuses US of Violating Maritime Law

Moscow reacted swiftly and angrily to the seizure. In a statement, the Russian Transport Ministry said the U.S. action constituted a violation of international maritime law, citing the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

“In accordance with the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, freedom of navigation applies in the high seas, and no state has the right to use force against vessels duly registered in the jurisdictions of other states,” the ministry said.

The ministry added that contact with the vessel was lost after U.S. naval forces boarded it “in the open sea, beyond the territorial waters of any state.” It said the Marinera had received “temporary permission” to sail under the Russian flag on December 24.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry also questioned the scale of the operation, saying the tanker was receiving “heightened attention from the US and NATO militaries” that was “clearly disproportionate to its peaceful status.”

Link to Broader US Crackdown on Venezuela

The seizure comes amid an unprecedented escalation in U.S. actions against Venezuela and its energy sector under President Trump. On Saturday, U.S. forces captured President Nicolas Maduro in a military operation that sent shockwaves through the region and beyond.

Following Maduro’s capture, Trump said the United States would “run” Venezuela and develop its vast oil reserves. On Tuesday, he went further, saying Venezuela would hand over between 30 million and 50 billion barrels of sanctioned oil to the United States.

The targeting of oil tankers linked to Venezuela has become a central pillar of Washington’s strategy, with U.S. officials signaling that maritime enforcement will now extend well beyond the Caribbean and into global shipping lanes.

Second Vessel Seized Near Caribbean

In a separate development, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said American forces also seized a second vessel, the supertanker M Sophia, in international waters near the Caribbean.

The vessel was Panama-flagged and had been placed under U.S. sanctions, according to officials. Shipping data showed the tanker departed Venezuelan waters earlier this month as part of a fleet transporting Venezuelan oil to China while operating in “dark mode,” with its transponder switched off.

In a social media post, Noem said both the Marinera and the M Sophia were “either last docked in Venezuela or en route to it.”

Growing International Implications

Officials and analysts say the twin seizures mark a significant shift in U.S. sanctions enforcement, raising questions about the future of global shipping norms and the risk of escalation with major powers.

Reporting from Washington, one correspondent described the actions as a clear signal that a broader operation is underway. “It’s clear that there is an operation underway, several vessels that not only have been pursued but have now been apprehended,” she said.

With Washington signaling that sanctions enforcement now applies “anywhere in the world,” the seizure of the Marinera is likely to heighten tensions with Russia and reshape calculations for shipping companies involved in moving sanctioned oil, particularly as the United States presses ahead with its post-Maduro strategy for Venezuela.