Dmitry Khiluk, Ekaterina Girnyk16:13, 07.01.26

American military personnel have already boarded the tanker Marinera.

The United States has seized the Venezuela-linked Marinera oil tanker in the Atlantic after a more than two-week pursuit, two U.S. officials told Reuters on Wednesday.

“The seizure, which could have ignited tensions with Russia, occurred after the tanker, originally known as the Bella 1, passed through a naval ‘blockade’ of sanctioned tankers and refused permission for the US Coast Guard to board,” the report said.

Sources said the operation was being carried out by the US Coast Guard and the military. They added that Russian military vessels, including a Russian submarine, were nearby during the operation.

At the same time, Fox News journalist Lucas Tomlinson reports that American military personnel have boarded the tanker Marinera.

“According to officials, US military personnel boarded a sanctioned tanker between Iceland and the British Isles before Russian warships and a submarine arrived. The tanker was previously named Bella 1 but was re-registered as a Russian vessel,” Tomlinson writes in H.

Separately, the U.S. Coast Guard also intercepted another tanker linked to Venezuela in Latin American waters, U.S. officials told Reuters, as the United States continues to enforce a naval blockade of sanctioned vessels from Venezuela.

Tankers blacklisted by the US off the coast of Venezuela have changed their flag to the Russian one.

As reported today, five blacklisted tankers operating in Venezuela and under US sanctions for transporting “prohibited” oil have changed their flags to Russian ones .

Journalists believe that this may not be a complete list of sanctioned ships that have decided to “change their colors,” likely hoping for protection.

At least three oil tankers operating in Venezuelan waters in recent weeks have also reflagged, continuing a trend of flag-swapping among vessels under US sanctions, according to Russia’s official shipping registry.

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