The US military has boarded and seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the North Atlantic Ocean that has been trying to evade a US blockade for weeks.
It is one of two Venezuela-linked oil tankers intercepted by the US within a few hours, as the Trump administration pledges to tightly control the country's oil industry and use its blockade to pressure its government to cooperate.
Britain provided "enabling support" for the seizure of the tanker, including surveillance aircraft and a support ship.
Russia reportedly sent a submarine and other naval vessels to the scene, declaring the tanker was "our vessel".
The tanker, formerly known as Bella 1, had been evading interception since the US Coast Guard attempted to board and seize it in December.
It had changed its name to the Marinera and switched its registration to Russia. But the US deemed it "stateless after flying a false flag", White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said.
The US European Command said the tanker had been seized for "violations of US sanctions". A warrant had been issued by a US federal court.
The British Ministry of Defence said its forces provided "pre-planned operational support".
The White House said the tanker's crew could now be charged in the US. "They will be brought to the United States for such prosecution if necessary," Ms Leavitt said.
Online maritime vessel tracker TankerTrackers showed the Marinera making a sudden southbound turn in the North Atlantic on Tuesday, local time. It was seized in the North Sea, near Iceland.
Moscow slammed the seizure of the vessel.
Russia's transport ministry said it had given the vessel "temporary permission" to sail under the Russian flag on December 24.
Russia's foreign ministry said it believed Russian citizens were among the crew. It issued a statement demanding the US respect their rights and "not hinder their speedy return to their homeland".
UK Defence Secretary John Healey said Britain was satisfied the seizure complied with international law.
"This ship, with a nefarious history, is part of a Russian-Iranian axis of sanctions evasion which is fuelling terrorism, conflict, and misery from the Middle East to Ukraine," he said.
Earlier on Wednesday, local time, US officials told news outlets CBS and the Wall Street Journal that Russia has sent naval assets, including a submarine to escort the ship.
Russia had asked the US to stop pursuing the vessel prior to its capture, the Journal said, citing three other US officials.
Second tanker seized in Caribbean The US Coast Guard also seized a second Venezuelan-linked tanker, the Sophia, in Latin American waters.
The US Southern Command, which oversees military activities in Latin America and the Caribbean, said the Sophia was interdicted in "a pre-dawn action".
"The Department of War, in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security, apprehended a stateless, sanctioned dark fleet motor tanker without incident," it said on X.
"The US Coast Guard is escorting M/T Sophia to the US for final disposition," said the post.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth added that the US's blockade of "sanctioned and illicit Venezuelan oil" remained in effect globally.
The interceptions came just days after US special forces swooped into Caracas before dawn on Saturday in a deadly raid to seize Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who the US military turned over to federal authorities for prosecution in New York on charges involving alleged drug trafficking.
US President Donald Trump announced a plan to refine and sell up to 50 million barrels of Venezuelan oil that had been stuck in Venezuela under the US blockade, in a further sign that Washington has been coordinating with the Venezuelan government since Mr Maduro's capture.
Original Story Link: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-08/us-intercepts-bella-1-venezuelan-oil-tanker-russia-sub/106208100?utm_campaign=abc_news_web&utm_content=link&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_source=abc_news_web
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