{"id":196071,"date":"2026-01-07T23:12:41","date_gmt":"2026-01-07T23:12:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/u-s-seizes-russian-flagged-oil-tanker-linked-to-venezuela-after-weekslong-pursuit-nbc-news\/"},"modified":"2026-01-07T23:12:41","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T23:12:41","slug":"u-s-seizes-russian-flagged-oil-tanker-linked-to-venezuela-after-weekslong-pursuit-nbc-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/u-s-seizes-russian-flagged-oil-tanker-linked-to-venezuela-after-weekslong-pursuit-nbc-news\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. seizes Russian-flagged oil tanker linked to Venezuela after weekslong pursuit – NBC News"},"content":{"rendered":"

news Alerts
There are no new alerts at this time
The United States has seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the North Atlantic following a dramatic weekslong chase on the high seas.
The operation to seize the sanctioned vessel, which changed its name from the Bella 1 to the Marinera after fleeing the American blockade of Venezuela last month<\/a>, was carried out early Wednesday. The U.S. also announced the seizure of another sanctioned tanker, the M\/T Sophia, which it said was \u201cconducting illicit activities in the Caribbean Sea.\u201d
The Kremlin, a strong supporter of deposed President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro, accused the U.S. of violating maritime law by seizing the Marinera.
The ship’s efforts to evade authorities were followed in real time by a fleet of observers and analysts, who also tracked as the U.S. moved military assets to the United Kingdom in recent days.
The saga emerged as a new flashpoint between Washington and Moscow<\/a> that threatened to undermine the Trump administration\u2019s blockade of the Latin American country in the wake of its stunning attack and capture of Maduro. <\/a>
The U.S. European Command confirmed the seizure of the Marinera for violating U.S. sanctions. \u201cThe vessel was seized in the North Atlantic pursuant to a warrant issued by a U.S. federal court after being tracked by USCGC Munro,\u201d it said in a post on X.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Capitol Hill that the tankers were seized as part of “stabilization” efforts for Venezuela.
He said that the interim authorities in Venezuela “understand the only way they can move oil, generate revenue and not have economic collapse is if they cooperate and work with the United States.”
The U.S. Southern Command, which oversees military activities in Latin America and the Caribbean, announced on X that the U.S. had also apprehended M\/T Sophia, \u201ca stateless, sanctioned dark fleet motor tanker\u201d that it said was \u201coperating in international waters and conducting illicit activities in the Caribbean Sea.\u201d
Emmanuel Belostrino, an oil market analyst at Kpler, said satellite imagery and port reports indicate the Sophia was \u201claden with around 2 million barrels of Merey crude oil, loaded from Jose Oil Terminal (JOT)\u201d in Venezuela. Kpler, which runs the ship-tracking service MarineTraffic, said the Sophia’s involvement in sanctioned trade may extend back several years.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem called the operations \u201ctwo safe, effective boardings within hours of each other.\u201d Noem said that the Bella 1 had been trying to evade the Coast Guard for weeks, \u201ceven changing its flag and painting a new name on the hull while being pursued, in a desperate and failed attempt to escape justice.\u201d The \u201cheroic\u201d crew of USCGC Munro, she added, pursued the vessel \u201cacross the high seas and through treacherous storms.\u201d
The U.S. seized<\/a> two oil tankers off the coast of Venezuela last month as part of its blockade of sanctioned oil shipments to and from the country. The Marinera was one of a number of sanctioned oil tankers operating near Venezuela <\/strong>that have recently changed their flags to Russia.
Trump said Tuesday that Venezuela would hand over 30 million to 50 million barrels of oil <\/a>to the U.S., as its vast reserves emerged as a key pillar of his plans \u2014 and a point of tension with Russia and China.
NBC News reported<\/a> last month that the Marinera, then known as the Bella 1, had been on the U.S. sanctions list since June 2024.
It was pursued by the U.S. Coast Guard off Venezuela last month, and as of Jan. 5 it was off the west coast of Scotland in the North Atlantic, according to data from the ship-tracking website MarineTraffic.
Russia’s Transport Ministry said in a statement following the tanker’s capture that the Marinera had been granted temporary authorization to sail under the Russian flag in late December, and that it had lost all communication with the ship after U.S. forces boarded it on Wednesday.
“The high seas are governed by the principle of freedom of navigation, and no state has the right to use force against vessels duly registered under the jurisdiction of other states,” it said.
The Russian Foreign Ministry told state news agency Tass it was closely monitoring the situation and demanded the humane treatment and “prompt return” of Russian citizens onboard.
Chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs Leonid Slutsky told Tass the seizure was “unquestionably a violation of maritime law and UN conventions,” while Senator Andrei Klishas, of the Putin-aligned United Russia party, said on Telegram that the U.S. had \u201cturned to outright piracy on the high seas.\u201d
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said during a press briefing that the Marinera was “deemed stateless” after “flying a false flag.” She said the crew would be subject to prosecution under U.S. federal law and “will be brought to the United States for such prosecution if necessary.”
Pressed on whether the seizure would inflame tensions with Russia, Leavitt said Trump had an “open, honest and good” relationship with Vladimir Putin, but said Trump would “enforce our policy that’s best for the United States of America, and with respect to these ship seizures, that means enforcing the embargo against all dark fleet vessels.”
Russian propaganda TV channel RT shared what it said was exclusive footage from aboard the tanker Tuesday night. It did not say where or when the footage was shot.
\u201cVisibility is poor due to fog, and a U.S. Coast Guard ship is visible in the distance,\u201d the caption accompanying the video read, adding that American reconnaissance aircraft were monitoring the vessel.
Flight tracking data shows that 13 Air Force C-17A Globemaster III, a large military transport aircraft, flew from U.S. Air Force bases to the U.K. between Saturday and Monday.
As news of the tanker\u2019s seizure broke, flight records showed multiple U.S. military aircraft near the vessel\u2019s last known location.
Two U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon aircraft, typically used for maritime patrols, and a KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refueling tanker were recorded flying off the west and north coasts of Scotland. Two C-130J Hercules tactical transport aircraft and three U-28A Draco special operations aircraft were also recorded flying in the area.
The U.K.\u2019s defense ministry said in a statement that Britain had \u201cprovided enabling support\u201d to intercept the Marinera, including \u201cpre-planned operational support\u201d and \u201csurveillance support from the air.\u201d
It cited assessments that the vessel had been \u201cinvolved in illegal activity, linked to international terrorism and crime including Hezbollah, and part of the web of rising shadow activity that fuels and finances nefarious activity across the globe.\u201d
But the seized tankers are not the only ones threatening to undermine the U.S. blockade.
At least three other sanctioned oil tankers that were operating near Venezuela in recent weeks have changed their flags to Russia, according to the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping. The ships \u2014 the Malak, now renamed the Sintez; the Dianchi, now the Expander; and the Veronica, now the Galileo \u2014 had previously been sailing under the flags of Comoros and Guyana, according to MarineTraffic.
Courtney Kube is a correspondent covering national security and the military for the NBC News Investigative Unit.
Yuliya Talmazan is a reporter for NBC News Digital, based in London.
Caroline Radnofsky is a supervising reporter for\u00a0NBC News’ Social Newsgathering team based in London.
Larissa Gao is an associate social newsgathering reporter based in London.
Sara Mhaidli is a reporter for\u00a0NBC News’ Social Newsgathering team based in London.
Matthew Mulligan is a senior reporter\u00a0for the NBC News Social Newsgathering team based in London.
Joe Murphy is a data editor at NBC News.
© 2026 NBCUniversal Media, LLC<\/p>\n

source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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