Takeover of oil tanker?
US seizes Russian-flagged oil tankers
Updated on January 7, 2026 – 3:43 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
The US armed forces are conducting a military operation against a tanker in the middle of the North Atlantic. The ship sails under the Russian flag. Is Moscow reacting?
The US military has seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker. The European Command of the US Armed Forces (Eucom) said the attack in the North Atlantic was carried out on the orders of a federal court due to “violations of US sanctions”.
It is therefore the freighter “Bella-1”, which, as a sanctioned ship, “threatens the security and stability of the Western Hemisphere”, as it was said. The western hemisphere usually refers to the double continent of America and the surrounding islands. The operation was coordinated with the Ministry of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security, which is responsible for the Coast Guard.
The cargo ship was tracked by the US Coast Guard for several days. According to US media reports, it had previously changed course on the way to Venezuela to avoid a search. It is also said to have changed its name to “The Marinera” for this purpose. The US armed forces did not give this name. After changing course and being tracked by the US Coast Guard, the crew also allegedly painted the Russian flag on the side of the ship and changed the registration.
A few weeks ago, the US military took control of two other oil tankers off the coast of Venezuela. The attempt to take over a third ship failed.
Before the weekend’s military operation in Venezuela, including the capture of President Nicolás Maduro, US President Donald Trump had ordered a naval blockade of sanctioned oil tankers that were heading towards Venezuela or leaving a port in the resource-rich country. Russia is accused by Western allies of using old tankers to evade sanctions.
According to reports, Russia sent a submarine and other ships to protect the tanker. Before the US seizure of the tanker became public, the Foreign Ministry in Moscow told the Russian state news agency Tass that Russia viewed the extraordinary situation with concern.
The ship is currently sailing the waters of the North Atlantic under the flag of the Russian Federation in accordance with the norms of international maritime law. For reasons unknown, the US military and NATO did not pay adequate increased attention to his civilian status, they said.
