U.S. Moves to Seize Venezuela-Linked Oil Tanker After Weeks-Long Atlantic Chase

U.S. Moves to Seize Venezuela-Linked Oil Tanker After Weeks-Long Atlantic Chase The United States is carrying out an operation to seize a Venezuela-linked oil tanker in the North Atlantic after more than two weeks of pursuit, U.S. officials told Reuters on Wednesday, in a significant escalation of efforts to enforce sanctions and pressure the Venezuelan government. The vessel, originally known as the Bella-1, had slipped through a U.S. maritime blockade targeting tankers suspected of violating sanctions and rebuffed early attempts by the U.S. Coast Guard to board it. After avoiding an interdiction effort near Venezuelan waters in December, the ship sailed north through the Atlantic, where U.S. forces continued to track its movements. In its most recent location, the tanker — now renamed Marinera and registered under a Russian flag — has been targeted by the operation involving both the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. military forces. Reuters reported that the seizure could further intensify already high tensions between Washington and Moscow. According to officials familiar with the matter, Russian naval vessels, including a submarine, were reportedly in the vicinity during the U.S. operation, underscoring the risk of a broader geopolitical confrontation at sea. This latest pursuit is part of a broader campaign by the U.S. government to clamp down on Venezuelan oil shipments that Washington views as helping Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s regime evade sanctions. The tanker had initially evaded boarding and changed flags in an apparent attempt to escape U.S. enforcement. U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the Coast Guard and military are cooperating in the operation. The long chase reflects the challenges of enforcing sanctions on widely dispersed vessels, particularly when they attempt to exploit legal and logistical loopholes. The pursuit and potential seizure of the Marinera follow a series of U.S. actions this year targeting ships connected to Venezuela’s oil trade, which the U.S. has sanctioned in a bid to cut off revenue streams it says support illicit activities and authoritarian governance in Caracas. As international attention focuses on the operation, it remains unclear how Moscow will respond if the U.S. successfully takes control of the Russian-flagged tanker. The involvement of military assets from both nations at sea highlights the complexity and diplomatic sensitivity of the situation.