US Military Seizes Venezuelan-linked Tankers in Strategic Operations

Fri Jan 09 2026 03:53:16 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

In dual operations, the US has seized two tankers linked to Venezuelan oil exports, amidst efforts to block illicit oil shipments and enforce sanctions.

The US military has successfully seized two tankers, the Marinera in the North Atlantic following a lengthy pursuit, and the M/T Sophia in the Caribbean. These actions align with the US's broader strategy to disrupt Venezuela's crude oil exports. The maneuver also highlights international implications, with Russia condemning the actions taken against the Marinera, which flew under a Russian flag. The seizing of the tankers consolidates the US’s position on controlling Venezuelan oil flows.

The United States says it has seized two tankers linked to Venezuelan oil exports in back-to-back operations in the North Atlantic and the Caribbean.

US forces boarded the Russian-flagged Marinera after a pursuit lasting almost two weeks and as it traveled through the waters between Iceland and Scotland. The British Navy provided logistical support by air and sea.

A second tanker - the M/T Sophia - was accused by the US of conducting illicit activities and boarded in the Caribbean.

The moves come as the US seeks to choke off most exports of Venezuelan crude oil, and just days after its special forces seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a lightning raid on his residence in Caracas.

In a post on X, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote: The blockade of sanctioned and illicit Venezuelan oil remains in FULL EFFECT - anywhere in the world.

Moscow has denounced the seizure of the tanker sailing under its flag, and demanded that the US treat Russians on board properly and permits them to return to Russia quickly.

The transport ministry said it had given the vessel temporary permission to use the Russian flag, adding that no state had the right to use force against vessels properly registered in other states' jurisdictions.

Reports had suggested that Russia had dispatched a submarine to safeguard the vessel, but it appears that US forces were able to board the tanker without facing any resistance.

The White House described the ship as a Venezuelan shadow fleet vessel deemed stateless after flying a false flag and had a judicial order against it.

Venezuela's leadership is cooperating with the US on the second tanker seized in the Caribbean, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.

They understand that the only way they can move oil and generate revenue and not have economic collapse is if they cooperate and work with the United States, Rubio told reporters.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump had said that Venezuela - which has the world's largest oil reserves - will be turning over up to 50 million barrels of oil worth some $2.8bn (£2.1bn) to the US.

Rubio said that the US would sell oil that is in Venezuela in the marketplace at market rates and that the US would control how the proceeds were dispersed in a way that benefits the Venezuelan people.

He said the US had a considered plan for the future of Venezuela, and that the administration was not just winging it.

China - the biggest buyer of Venezuelan oil in recent years - has condemned the US moves and accused it of threatening global energy security.

The seizure of the two tankers was announced by the US military in separate posts on social media on Wednesday. The US European Command said the M/V Bella 1 - using the former name of the Marinera - was boarded for violations of US sanctions.

Britain's Ministry of Defence said RAF surveillance aircraft and a naval support vessel, the RFA Tideforce, were among the UK military assets that took part in the operation, following a US request for assistance.

The vessel has been accused of breaking US sanctions and shipping Iranian oil. The US Southern Command, for its part, announced the capture of the stateless, sanctioned dark fleet motor tanker without incident. The interdicted vessel, M/T Sophia, was operating in international waters and conducting illicit activities in the Caribbean Sea. The US Coast Guard is escorting M/T Sophia to the U.S. for final disposition.