Image Credentials: Image Title: U.S. Seizes Two Sanctioned Oil Tankers Linked to Venezuela in Atlantic and Caribbean Source: (sora.openai) Date: January 2026. Attribution: This image was created using AI-generated imagery (sora.openai) and does not depict a real-world scene.
By Open Chronicle News Desk with Agencies | January 7, 2026
The United States has seized two oil tankers linked to Venezuela that were under U.S. sanctions, marking a significant escalation in Washington’s efforts to enforce its maritime blockade on Venezuelan oil exports, officials said Wednesday.
U.S. European Command confirmed that the Russian-flagged tanker Marinera, previously known as Bella 1, was seized in the North Atlantic Ocean under a federal court warrant executed by the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Munro. The tanker had been pursued for weeks after evading earlier interception attempts near Venezuela and trying to break through a U.S. blockade targeting vessels transporting sanctioned oil.
US SEIZES SECOND VENEZUELAN OIL TANKER
A second vessel linked to Venezuela has been seized in Caribbean Sea following the US operation off the UK coast.
The US head of Homeland Security says they conducted "back-to-back" boarding of two "ghost fleet" ships.
Source @BBCNews pic.twitter.com/DSzegGebrp
— Kiera Diss (@KieraDiss) January 7, 2026
Earlier in the day, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced that U.S. forces had also taken control of the tanker Sophia in the Caribbean Sea. Noem said both vessels were either last docked in Venezuela or en route to it, underscoring their connection to the country’s oil trade under sanctions.
U.S. officials said the Marinera had been sanctioned in 2024 for allegedly smuggling cargo for a company linked to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran. The vessel rejected an earlier boarding attempt by the U.S. Coast Guard in the Caribbean and instead fled across the Atlantic. During its flight, the tanker was renamed and reflagged to Russia, with crew members reported to have painted a Russian flag on its hull in a bid to evade capture.
The US seized two oil tankers linked to Venezuela today:
1. The Russian-flagged Marinera (Bella 1) in the North Atlantic.
2. The Venezuelan-flagged Sophia in the Caribbean. pic.twitter.com/QeIXZ9n6GS
— Vegas ⚔️ (@vegasyx) January 7, 2026
Open-source tracking data showed the Marinera sailing between Scotland and Iceland before its seizure, illustrating the global reach of the U.S. enforcement operation. U.S. military surveillance aircraft, along with Royal Air Force flights, monitored the ship before the Coast Guard action.
The twin seizures come amid heightened geopolitical tensions following a U.S. military raid in Venezuela’s capital that resulted in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, an operation that Washington said was part of a broader effort to enforce sanctions and stabilize the region. U.S. leaders, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have repeatedly pledged to continue targeting sanctioned oil shipments they say undermine the security and stability of the Western Hemisphere.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry earlier expressed concern over the incident, arguing that its flagged vessel was operating in international waters and criticizing the U.S. actions as disproportionate. Commitment to its maritime enforcement strategy, which authorities say includes blocking sanctioned vessels anywhere in the world and using federal warrants to seize ships that violate U.S. sanctions law.