The US Coast Guard attempted to seize a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the Atlantic Ocean after pursuing it for two weeks, alleging the vessel was transporting sanctioned oil.
Foreign news agencies reported on Wednesday, 7 Jan 2026 GMT+7, that the US Coast Guard had seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker linked to Venezuela after a chase lasting more than two weeks in the Atlantic Ocean, amid heightened tensions due to the presence of Russian submarines and warships nearby.
This seizure could increase tensions with Russia. It occurred after the oil tanker, formerly named Bella 1 and now called Marinera, slipped through the US maritime "blockade" targeting sanctioned oil tankers and resisted US Coast Guard attempts to board the ship.
The US European Command posted on X that the Trump administration seized the vessel due to violations of US sanctions.
“The blockade of sanctioned and illegal Venezuelan oil remains fully enforced, wherever it occurs in the world,” said US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth in response to the European Command's post.
Russian authorities strongly condemned the US seizure of the oil tanker.
The Russian Ministry of Transport stated in a release that under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, freedom of navigation applies in international waters, and no state has the right to use force against a properly registered ship under another state's jurisdiction.
The ministry also noted that the vessel received "temporary authorization" to sail under the Russian flag on 24 December, adding that “contact with the ship was lost” after the US Navy boarded it in international waters, outside any country's territorial sea.
An anonymous official said the operation was conducted by the US Coast Guard and military, marking what appears to be the first time in modern history that the US military has attempted to seize a Russian-flagged vessel.
The official added that Russian military ships, including a submarine, were near the operation site. However, it is unclear how close these vessels were to the incident, which occurred near Iceland.
The US Coast Guard first tried to intercept the ship last month, but the crew refused to allow inspection. Since then, the ship changed its flag from Guyana to Russia.
US officials told Reuters that in a separate incident, the US Coast Guard intercepted another oil tanker linked to Venezuela in Latin American waters, as the US continues enforcing its "blockade" of sanctioned Venezuelan vessels.
These moves come just days after US special forces raided Caracas before dawn last Saturday, arresting President Nicolás Maduro and bringing him to the United States to face drug trafficking charges.
Senior Venezuelan officials called Maduro's arrest a "kidnapping" and accused the US of trying to steal the country's vast oil reserves, believed to be the largest in the world.
Meanwhile, former President Trump and senior US officials countered by accusing Venezuela of stealing US oil, referring to Venezuela's nationalization over the past 50 years of private and foreign energy companies.
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Source:cna