U.S. forces board Russian-flagged oil tanker linked to Venezuela

U.S. forces boarded and seized a Russia-flagged oil tanker tied to Venezuela in the North Atlantic and handed control to U.S. law enforcement, officials said.

U.S. forces boarded and seized a Russia-flagged oil tanker linked to Venezuela in the North Atlantic, U.S. officials said. The operation followed weeks of pursuit after the vessel tried to evade a U.S. blockade on sanctioned ships. U.S. European Command said the Coast Guard cutter Munro tracked the ship and that the seizure was made under a warrant issued by a U.S. federal court. Shipping records show the vessel was previously named Bella 1, later renamed Marinera, and had been sanctioned by the U.S. in 2024. Key facts: - U.S. forces boarded and seized the tanker in the North Atlantic and transferred control to U.S. law enforcement, according to an anonymous U.S. official. - U.S. European Command said the Coast Guard cutter Munro tracked the ship and that the action was carried out pursuant to a warrant from a U.S. federal court. - The ship was sanctioned in 2024 for alleged smuggling linked to a company tied to Hezbollah, and open-source tracking placed it between Scotland and Iceland before the seizure. Summary: The action is described by U.S. officials as enforcement of sanctions on vessels tied to Venezuela. Undetermined at this time.