U.S. says it’s seized two oil tankers linked to Venezuela – National

U.S. forces have seized a sanctioned, Russian-flagged oil tanker in the North Atlantic after it slipped out of Venezuela last month. Later Wednesday, U.S. officials said they had seized a second tanker in the Caribbean Sea.

The first vessel was initially pursued by the U.S. Coast Guard in December 2025 after it tried to evade a U.S. blockade around Venezuela. The ship refused boarding by the U.S. Coast Guard when it attempted to seize it.

The ship is one of several sanctioned oil tankers that were operating close to Venezuela within a “shadow fleet,” and had been under U.S. watch since 2024 for allegedly transporting illicit cargo for a company linked to a Lebanese faction of the militant group Hezbollah.

The tanker had recently changed its name from Bella 1 to the Marinera and adopted a Russian flag.

Earlier Wednesday, open-source maritime tracking sites showed its position between Scotland and Iceland, travelling north. A U.S. official also confirmed to The Associated Press that the ship was in the North Atlantic.

U.S. military planes have flown over the vessel, and on Tuesday, a Royal Air Force surveillance plane was shown on flight-tracking sites flying over the same area.

The second “stateless” vessel was seized in international waters early Wednesday, the U.S. Southern Command announced on X.

“Through Operation Southern Spear, the Department of War is unwavering in its mission to crush illicit activity in the Western Hemisphere. We will defend our Homeland and restore security and strength across the Americas,” the post reads.

Footage of the raid shows a helicopter hovering above the oil tanker.

M/T Sophia was operating in international waters and conducting illicit activities in the Caribbean Sea, according to the U.S. military.

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Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said the back-to-back seizures were “meticulously coordinated” by the U.S. Coast Guard, the Department of War, the Department of Justice and the Department of State. She also noted that the name Bella 1 had been changed and the hull repainted “in a desperate and failed attempt to escape justice.”

“The world’s criminals are on notice. You can run, but you can’t hide,” Noem warned. “We will never relent in our mission to protect the American people and disrupt the funding of narco terrorism wherever we find it, period. This is our country’s greatest fighting force at their best. This is America first at sea,” she concluded.

Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the country will continue to enforce a blockade against sanctioned vessels, which he said are “stealing from the Venezuelan people.”

“Only legitimate and lawful energy commerce—as determined by the U.S.—will be permitted,” he continued.

The tankers’ seizure comes just days after U.S. military forces conducted a surprise nighttime raid on Venezuela’s capital of Caracas and captured President Nicolás Maduro and his wife.

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This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

— With files from The Associated Press

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