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Published on January 7, 2026
The US military is attempting to seize a Russian-flagged oil tanker with connections to Venezuela after a weeks-long pursuit, US and Russian media report.
Two unnamed U.S. officials told the Reuters news agency on Wednesday that the operation was being carried out by the Coast Guard and the U.S. military.
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Russian state broadcaster RT reported that it appeared US forces were trying to board a helicopter from the Venezuela-bound oil tanker Marinera, and released an image of a helicopter hovering near the ship.
RT cited an anonymous source as saying that a US Coast Guard ship was “following the tanker and an attempt to seize it during a storm had already been” made.
The operation took place after the Marinera, initially known as the Bella-1, escaped a US maritime “blockade” of sanctioned tankers and rebuffed efforts by the US Coast Guard to board it.
U.S. officials say the tanker is part of a so-called ghost fleet that transports oil for countries including Venezuela, Russia and Iran, in violation of U.S. sanctions.
US forces have been pursuing the Marinera in the Atlantic Ocean since last month, ahead of the military operation to kidnap Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Saturday.
“Cat and mouse game”
Tracking data from MarineTraffic showed on Wednesday that the tanker was approaching Iceland’s exclusive economic zone.
Reuters reported that a Russian submarine and warship were nearby as the operation unfolded.
From Moscow, journalist Dmitri Medvedenko declared that there had been at least two attempts in recent weeks of “this game of cat and mouse to seize this tanker”.
The Russian government has not confirmed whether it sent ships or submarines to accompany the Marinera, Medvedenko said.
“The Russian Foreign Ministry only said it was monitoring the situation and called the pursuit disproportionate.”
The ministry was quoted by state media as saying the ship, which now flies a Russian flag, was in international waters and acting in accordance with international maritime law.
He called on Western countries to “respect the right of ships to freedom of navigation.”
The ship was sanctioned by the United States in 2024 for allegedly smuggling goods on behalf of a company linked to the Lebanese group Hezbollah.
The U.S. Coast Guard attempted to board it in the Caribbean in December as it headed to Venezuela. The ship refused boarding and crossed the Atlantic.
