U.S. Coastal Guards, this Wednesday, seized two oil tankers in the North Atlantic who were found out to be linked to the past Venezuela drug boat incidents, including a Russian-flagged Marinera tanker also known as Bella-1 that had escaped a U.S. blockade in the past early December.
The U.S. also seized another tanker in the Caribbeans, according to Homeland Security Kristi Noem. The U.S. Coast Guard had been tracking the Marinera tanker for the last two after the first two failed attempts after apparently heading to Venezuela on December 20th.
“In two predawn operations today, the Coast Guard conducted back-to-back meticulously coordinated boarding of two ‘ghost fleet’ tanker ships — one in the North Atlantic Sea and one in international waters near the Caribbean,” Noem said in a post on X (@Sec_Noem/X Jan 7,2026).
“Both vessels — the Motor Tanker Bella 1 and the Motor [Tanker] Sophia — were either last docked in Venezuela or en route to it” (Martinez,Barr,Brennan,Reevell Jan. 7,2026).
On Dec. 31, the Russian Maritime register of Shipping listed the ship with the new name “Marinera” as a Russian vessel. The ship’s crew also attempted to fool the Coast Guard by painting a Russian flag on the side of the ship.
“This was a Venezuelan shadow fleet vessel that has transported sanctioned oil. The vessel was deemed stateless after flying a false flag and it had a judicial seizure order. And that’s why the crew will be subject to prosecution,” she told reporters (Martinez,Barr,Brennan,Reevell Jan. 7,2026).
President Donald Trump announced in December what he called a “blockade” of sanctioned oil tankers in and out Venezuela. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday posted the “blockade of sanctioned and illicit Venezuelan oil remains in FULL EFFECT — anywhere in the world.”
