US seizes Russian-flagged oil tanker linked to Venezuela after weeks-long Atlantic pursuit

THE United States, on Wednesday, seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker which was being shadowed by a submarine from Russia, after a pursuit that lasted more than two weeks across the Atlantic Ocean, as per a Reuters report.

This attempt to seize the vessel is part of the US' effort to create a 'blockade' of oil exports from Venezuela, as per two officials the news agency spoke to.

This is the first time in recent years that the United States has seized a Russian-flagged vessel.

In a post on X, the U.S. military's European Command said the Trump administration had seized the vessel for violating U.S. sanctions.

“The vessel was seized in the North Atlantic pursuant to a warrant issued by a U.S. federal court after being tracked by USCGC Munro,” the Eastern Command said in the post.

"The blockade of sanctioned and illicit Venezuelan oil remains in FULL EFFECT — anywhere in the world," U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said in reply to that post.

Bella-1, the tanker in question, had slipped through a maritime blockade of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean that has been kept in force by the US. The tanker also managed to rebuff attempts made by the US Coast Guard to board it.

Officials who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity revealed that the Coast Guard and the US military carried out the operation near Iceland.

Moscow has not yet made any official comment regarding the situation. RT, the Russian state media, however, did release an image of a helicopter hovering over the ship.

The operation comes in the wake of US special forces dropping into Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, before dawn on Saturday and raiding the residence of the country's president, Nicolas Maduro. They then captured Maduro along with his wife and flew the couple to the US. They were handed over to federal authorities by the US Army.

Another ship captured by US

Meanwhile, the US forces did manage to capture another ship, M/T Sophia, which it alleged was "operating in international waters and conducting illicit activities in the Caribbean Sea."

Giving details of the capture, the US Southern Command said in a post on X, "In a pre-dawn action this morning, the Department of War, in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security, apprehended a stateless, sanctioned dark fleet motor tanker without incident."

"Through Operation Southern Spear, the Department of War is unwavering in its mission to crush illicit activity in the Western Hemisphere. We will defend our Homeland and restore security and strength across the Americas," the Southern Command also said.