The United States has seized a Russian-flagged tanker linked to Venezuelan oil in a daring commando-style raid, after a more than two-week-long pursuit across the Atlantic.
Dramatic photos in Russian media purportedly show a helicopter – believed to be an American MH-6 Little Bird – swooping close to the rogue vessel before it was captured by US forces around 124 miles south of the Icelandic coast.
The Marinera ship – originally known as the Bella-1 – made an abrupt turn Wednesday afternoon and was heading towards Britain, according to ship tracking data.
Donald Trump’s latest power play came after the Marinera slipped through a US maritime ‘blockade’ of sanctioned vessels and rebuffed US Coast Guard efforts to board it.
The operation is a show of strength against Vladimir Putin – days after the US seized the ousted Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro in a lightning raid and threatened to takeover Greenland.
American officials added that the Russian military were in the general vicinity when the operation took place, including a Russian submarine.
The tanker is the latest to be targeted by the US Coast Guard since the start of Trump‘s pressure campaign against Venezuela.
Last month, the US Coast Guard attempted to board it in the Caribbean, armed with a warrant to seize the ship over alleged breaches of US sanctions and claims it had shipped Iranian oil.
However, the tanker then abruptly changed course, renamed itself Marinera and was added to an official Russian ship database
At one point while being pursued, the crew of the vessel painted a Russian flag on its hull, claiming it was sailing under Russian protection, and Moscow made a formal diplomatic request that the US stop its chase.
Pictures in Russian media purportedly showed helicopters approaching the vessel today
American officials added that Russian military vessels were in the general vicinity when the operation took place, including a Russian submarine
The vessel tanker Bella 1 at Singapore Strait, after U.S. officials say the U.S. Coast Guard pursued an oil tanker in international waters near Venezuela, in this picture taken from social media on March 18, 2025
The latest location data from the vessel showed it made an abrupt turn to the south and slowed to just eight knots, starting at 11.26am GMT.
It appeared to be heading towards northern Scotland.
Data from flight tracking sites appeared to show both British and American military aircraft leaving the UK and heading towards the area the vessel is in.
Footage posted earlier by Russian television network RT purported to show a US Coast Guard cutter chasing the Marinera, which started its journey in Iran.
Earlier, the Daily Mail reported that British Typhoons were scrambled to intercept the vessel.
The Daily Mail has contacted the Ministry of Defence for comment.
Downing Street has refused to comment on the matter, or whether British military bases were used in the operation.
Trump last month said he had ordered a ‘blockade’ of sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, a policy the government in Caracas branded ‘theft’.
In the run-up to the US seizure of the country’s former leader Maduro on Saturday, Trump repeatedly accused Venezuela’s government of using ships to smuggle drugs into the US.
Two US officials told CBS News on Tuesday that American forces were planning to board the Marinera and that Washington would prefer to seize the vessel rather than sink it.
Moscow’s Foreign Ministry earlier said it expects Western countries to respect principles of freedom of navigation.
The US European Command said the US Department of Justice and Homeland Security have ‘today announced the seizure of the M/V Bella 1 for violations of US sanctions’
In a post on X, they said the ‘vessel was seized in the North Atlantic pursuant to a warrant issued by a US federal court after being tracked by USCGC Munro’
Russia has dispatched navy assets to protect a sanctioned oil tanker as it crosses the Atlantic, amid mounting threats from the US to seize the vessel
Footage posted by Russian television network RT purports to show a US Coast Guard cutter chasing the Russian-flagged oil tanker
The US European Command said the US Department of Justice and Homeland Security have ‘today announced the seizure of the M/V Bella 1 for violations of US sanctions’.
In a post on X, they added: ‘The vessel was seized in the North Atlantic pursuant to a warrant issued by a US federal court after being tracked by USCGC Munro.’
They added that the operations supported Trump’s ‘Proclamation targeting sanctioned vessels that threaten the security and stability of the Western Hemisphere’.
‘The operation was executed by DHS components with support from @DeptofWar, showcasing a whole-of-government approach to protect the homeland.’
Separately, the US Coast Guard has also intercepted another Venezuela-linked tanker in Latin American waters, US officials said, as the US continues enforcing a maritime ‘blockade’ of sanctioned vessels from Venezuela.
The Marinera, formerly known as the Bella 1, had been falsely registered under a Guyanese flag.
It has historically transported Venezuelan crude oil but is understood to be empty at the moment.
Russia accused the US and Nato of excessive scrutiny surrounding the ship.
‘At present, our vessel is sailing in the international waters of the North Atlantic under the state flag of the Russian Federation and in full compliance with the norms of international maritime law,’ Russia’s foreign ministry said earlier on Wednesday.
‘For reasons unclear to us, the Russian ship is being given increased and clearly disproportionate attention by the US and Nato military, despite its peaceful status.
‘We expect that Western countries, which declare their commitment to freedom of navigation on the high seas, will begin adhering to this principle themselves.’
