U.S. seizes 2 sanctioned oil tankers linked to Venezuela in North Atlantic, Caribbean

The U.S. Has seized ii sanctioned oil color tankers linked to republic of venezuela in consecutive actions in the magnetic north Atlantic and Caribbean, officials revealed early on Wednesday morning.

U.S. European Command announced the seizure of the merchant vessel Bella 1 for "violations of U.S. Sanctions" in a social medial post. The U.S. Had been pursuing the tanker since last month, after it tried to evade a U.S. Blockade on sanctioned oil vessels around Venezuela.

Then, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem revealed that U.S. Forces also took control of the tanker Sophia in the Caribbean in a social media post. Noem said both ships were "either last docked in Venezuela or en route to it."

The U.S. Military seized the Bella 1 and subsequently handed over control of it to law enforcement officials, said a U.S. Official, who spoke to The Associated Press on Wednesday on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military operations.

The ship was sanctioned by the U.S. In 2024 for allegedly smuggling cargo for a company linked to Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. The U.S. Coast Guard attempted to board it in the Caribbean in December as it headed for Venezuela, which the Trump administration has placed under naval blockade. The ship refused boarding and headed across the Atlantic.

During this time, the Bella 1 was renamed Marinera and flagged to Russia, shipping databases show. The U.S. Official also confirmed that the ship's crew had painted a Russian flag on the side of the hull.

Earlier on Wednesday, open-source maritime tracking sites showed its position as between Scotland and Iceland, travelling north. The U.S. Official also confirmed 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.

Russia's Foreign Ministry said before the seizure that it was "following with concern the anomalous situation that has developed around the Russian oil tanker Marinera."

The ministry's statement, which was carried by the official Tass news agency, added that "for several days now, a U.S. Coast Guard ship has been following the Marinera, even though our vessel is approximately 4,000 kilometres from the American coast."

Trump says U.S. Strike hit dock in Venezuela

In a post to social media, U.S. European Command confirmed that the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Munro tracked the ship ahead of its seizure "pursuant to a warrant issued by a U.S. Federal court."

The military command went on to say that the seizure supported President Donald Trump's proclamation on targeting sanctioned vessels that "threaten the security and stability of the Western Hemisphere." The tanker's seizure comes just days after U.S. Military forces conducted a surprise nighttime raid on Venezuela's capital, Caracas, and captured president Nicolás Maduro and his wife.

In the wake of this raid, officials in Trump's Republican administration have said that they intended to continue to seize sanctioned vessels connected to the country.

"We are enforcing American laws with regards to oil sanctions," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on NBC on Sunday. "We go to court. We get a warrant. We seize those boats with oil. And that will continue."

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