In a major international operation, United States authorities have seized a sanctioned Venezuelan oil tanker in the North Atlantic, culminating a dramatic two-week chase. The vessel, the Marinera, was intercepted with support from British military assets in waters northwest of Scotland on Wednesday 7 January 2026.
The Shadow Fleet Tanker and Its Dramatic Escape
The Marinera is a key part of the so-called "shadow fleet" of tankers that transport oil in violation of international sanctions. Originally built in 2002, the vessel has operated under a series of names and flags, including the Yannis, Xiao Zhu Shan, and, until recently, the Bella 1.
It was previously sanctioned by the US Treasury during the Biden administration for its involvement in the Iranian oil trade. According to intelligence from Kpler, the tanker moved over 6 million barrels of Iranian oil last year, often transferring cargo at sea to obscure its final destination.
In mid-December, the vessel evaded a US attempt to board it in the Caribbean Sea. It then disappeared from public tracking systems, reappearing later in the Atlantic. In a clear bid for protection, it was renamed the Marinera and painted with a Russian flag, having received a temporary permit from Moscow's transport ministry on Christmas Eve.
A Joint US-UK Operation on the High Seas
The pursuit reached its climax this week. After US military planes were dispatched to UK airbases, a coordinated operation was launched on Wednesday morning. The US Coast Guard, supported by Britain's Royal Air Force surveillance aircraft and the naval supply ship RFA Tideforce, successfully seized the tanker.
The US European Command stated the seizure was due to "violations of U.S. sanctions," linking it to President Trump's proclamation targeting vessels that threaten Western Hemisphere security. Britain's Defence Secretary, John Healey, said the operation was part of "global efforts to crack down on sanctions busting," accusing the ship of being part of a "Russian-Iranian axis of sanctions evasion."
In a simultaneous move, the US Southern Command apprehended a second sanctioned vessel, the M/T Sophia, in international waters.
International Fallout and Russian Fury
Russia has reacted with fury, labelling the seizure a violation of maritime law and an act of "outright piracy." Moscow's Transport Ministry stated contact with the vessel was lost after US forces boarded it, insisting that no state has the right to use force against vessels registered in other jurisdictions under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
The Russian government is demanding humane treatment and the swift return of the Russian crew members. This incident marks a significant escalation, coming just days after the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and representing the third oil tanker seized by the US since its campaign against Venezuela began in early September 2025.
The dramatic capture of the Marinera underscores the intensifying global effort to enforce oil sanctions and the complex, high-stakes naval confrontations they are now provoking.
