Live Updates: U.S. Forces Intercept Oil Tanker That Defied Blockade of Venezuela
The U.S. military had been pursuing the Russian-flagged tanker as part of its pressure campaign against Venezuela. The move deepens a confrontation with Russia after the U.S. ouster of Venezuela’s president.
The U.S. military intercepted a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the North Atlantic that had evaded an American effort to crack down on Venezuela’s energy exports, U.S. officials said, sharply escalating a confrontation with Moscow after the ouster of its ally, President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela.
The U.S. military issued a statement on X saying that U.S. forces had “seized” the vessel for violating U.S. sanctions. The Coast Guard boarded the tanker after a roughly two-week pursuit, according to one U.S. official briefed on the operation. The Coast Guard encountered no resistance or hostility from the crew, the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive military operation.
The Russian state-owned broadcaster RT published images of a helicopter approaching the Russian-flagged tanker being pursued by the Coast Guard and said it appeared U.S. forces were attempting to board. The New York Times was not able to determine when the images were captured.
The tanker — known until recently as the Bella 1 and now called the Marinera — has been registered as a Russian vessel, and Russia had sent at least one naval vessel to meet and escort it, according to a U.S. official briefed on the operation. There were no Russian vessels in the vicinity of the tanker when the Coast Guard boarded the ship, averting the possibility of a standoff between U.S. and Russian forces, two U.S. officials said.
Russia did not immediately comment on the U.S. operation. In a statement issued on Tuesday to the state news agency Tass, Russia’s foreign ministry said the tanker was operating in full compliance with international maritime law, and said it was receiving increased attention from the U.S. and NATO militaries that was “disproportionate to its peaceful status.”
The tanker had been sailing in the Atlantic Ocean between Iceland and Britain with its location transponder active, according to ship-tracking data from MarineTraffic. Its destination was unclear, but from there, it could have been headed to the Baltic Sea or around Scandinavia to Murmansk, Russia’s ice-free Arctic port.
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https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/01/07/world/venezuela-us-trump