US seizes renamed Venezuela-Linked VLCC after high-seas pursuit

US authorities have seized two oil tankers linked to Venezuela, including a VLCC that was tracked across the Atlantic following a name and flag change and reports of Russian naval activity in the area.

One of the vessels is the 2002-built VLCC Marinera, previously known as Bella 1. While operating under its former name, the tanker was intercepted by the US Coast Guard on December 20 in the Caribbean as it sailed toward Venezuela. At the time, the vessel was not flying a valid national flag, rendering it subject to boarding under international law.

US authorities were also acting on a seizure warrant issued by a federal magistrate judge. The warrant stemmed from the tanker’s alleged involvement in Iranian oil trading, which led to its designation by the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in 2022.

Initial reports suggested the vessel had already been seized, but those claims proved inaccurate. The tanker altered course, changed its name to Marinera, and was re-registered under the Russian flag. US agencies subsequently tracked the vessel across the North Atlantic. During this period, reports indicated that Russia had deployed a submarine and other naval asset in the vicinity as the tanker transited the ocean.

Despite these developments, the US Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security confirmed that the vessel was ultimately seized for violations of US sanctions. In a statement posted on X, the agencies said the tanker was taken into custody in the North Atlantic “pursuant to a warrant issued by a US federal court after being tracked by USCGC Munro.” The operation was supported by the UK Ministry of Defence, including the use of Royal Air Force aircraft. Equasis data lists the vessel as owned and managed by Istanbul-based Louis Marine Shipholding.

In a separate operation, US forces also seized another Venezuela-linked tanker in the Caribbean. The vessel, the 2004-built, 320,000 dwt M Sophia, was described by US Southern Command as stateless, sanctioned, and part of the so-called shadow fleet. The tanker is currently being escorted by the US Coast Guard to the United States for final disposition.