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Published On 7 Jan 2026
The United States military commandeered a Russian-flagged oil tanker with links to Venezuela after a weeks-long pursuit.
“The blockade of sanctioned and illicit Venezuelan oil remains in FULL EFFECT — anywhere in the world,” US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote on social media.
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Two unnamed US officials earlier told the Reuters news agency on Wednesday the operation was carried out by the Coast Guard and US military.
Russian state broadcaster RT reported US forces boarded the Venezuela-linked oil tanker Marinera from a helicopter, and published an image of the aircraft hovering near the ship.
RT cited an unnamed source as saying a US Coast Guard vessel has been following the tanker and an attempt to seize it during a storm had already been carried out.
The operation came after the Marinera, originally known as the Bella-1, slipped through a US maritime “blockade” of sanctioned tankers and rebuffed US Coast Guard efforts to board it.
US officials say the tanker is part of a so-called shadow fleet that has carried oil for countries such as Venezuela, Russia, and Iran in violation of US sanctions.
US forces have been pursuing the Marinera in the Atlantic Ocean since last month in the lead up to the country’s military operation to abduct Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, which was carried out on Saturday.
‘Cat-and-mouse game’
Tracking data from MarineTraffic showed the tanker nearing Iceland’s exclusive economic zone on Wednesday.
Reuters reported a Russian submarine and warship are in the vicinity as the operation unfolds.
Reporting from Moscow, journalist Dmitry Medvedenko said there have been at least two attempts in the past weeks of “this cat-and-mouse game to seize this tanker”.
The Russian government has not confirmed whether it sent any vessels or submarines to accompany the Marinera, Medvedenko said.
“The Russian Foreign Ministry only said that it’s monitoring the situation and it’s been calling this pursuit disproportionate.”
The ministry was cited by state media as saying the ship, which is now flying the Russian flag, is in international waters and acting according to international maritime law.
It called on Western countries to respect the vessel’s right to freedom of navigation.
The ship was sanctioned by the United States in 2024 for allegedly smuggling cargo for a company linked to Lebanese group Hezbollah.
The US Coast Guard attempted to board it in the Caribbean in December as it headed for Venezuela. The ship refused boarding and headed across the Atlantic.
