US seized oil tankers

Washington (dpa) — The US military said on Wednesday it had seized and boarded two oil tankers with links to Venezuela in the North Atlantic and the Caribbean, in a move that heightens tensions after the US operation to oust Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.

US European Command first announced that the Russian-flagged oil tanker Bella 1 had been seized near Iceland on the order of a federal court for violating US sanctions.

A short time later, US Southern Command said the Coast Guard had taken control of the Sophia, a stateless tanker, in the Caribbean. The command accused the vessel’s operators of “conducting illicit activities” that “threaten the security and stability of the Western Hemisphere.”

US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem tied both vessels to Venezuela, writing that they “were either last docked in Venezuela or en route to it.”

The Bella 1 had attempted to evade Coast Guard inspections for weeks, Noem said in a post on X, “even changing its flag and painting a new name on the hull while being pursued, in a desperate and failed attempt to escape justice.”

The early Wednesday morning operations were coordinated with the US Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the Coast Guard.

US President Donald Trump had ordered a naval blockade of sanctioned oil tankers heading to Venezuela or leaving ports in the resource-rich country, ahead of a US military operation there last weekend that led to the capture of Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores.

US seized oil tankers

He justified this by claiming that the South American country had stolen oil and other assets from the US.

Washington accuses the vessels of operating as part of a so-called “ghost” or “shadow” fleet used to transport illicit oil.

Western allies say Russia has relied on such tankers to circumvent sanctions through clandestine methods. Moscow has been a key ally of the Maduro government.

The blockade is to remain in place for the time being, even after Maduro’s arrest.

“The United States continues to enforce the blockade against all dark fleet vessels illegally transporting Venezuelan oil to finance illicit activity, stealing from the Venezuelan people,” US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote on X.

US Attorney General Pam Bondi said the Russian-flagged vessel had also been used to transport Iranian crude in defiance of sanctions.

Russia concerned about the situation

The Foreign Ministry in Moscow confirmed the Bella 1 had been sailing under the flag of the Russian Federation in the waters of the North Atlantic, but said it was doing so in accordance with the norms of international maritime law, the Russian state news agency TASS reported.

For unclear reasons, it said, the US military and NATO were paying disproportionately close attention to its civilian status. A US Coast Guard vessel has been following the tanker for several days, even though it is about 4,000 kilometres from the US coast, it added.

The ministry demanded the unhindered return home of the sailors on the tanker.

“In view of reports that Russian citizens are among the crew, we demand that the American side ensure their humane and dignified treatment, strictly protect their rights and interests, and not hinder their return home as quickly as possible,” the statement said.

The Russian Ministry of Transport also criticized the US action, citing the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. According to this, no state has the right to obstruct the free passage of duly registered ships in international waters.

The tanker had received provisional permission to sail under the Russian flag on December 24, it said, adding that this had been granted in accordance with international law.

The ship had previously been sailing under the flag of Guyana, reports said. The ship also changed its name from Bella 1 to Marinera as it was pursued by the US.