The United States has commenced an operation to seize a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the North Atlantic after it allegedly evaded a partial US blockade around Venezuela, according to multiple US media reports on Wednesday.
US officials said the vessel is part of a so-called “shadow fleet” accused of transporting oil for sanctioned countries including Venezuela, Russia and Iran, in violation of US sanctions.
Tracking data from MarineTraffic showed the tanker approaching Iceland’s exclusive economic zone on Wednesday.
The operation, first reported by Reuters citing two US officials, followed weeks of pursuit by US authorities. Reports said Russia recently deployed a submarine to escort the tanker, which was empty at the time.
The vessel had earlier thwarted an attempt by the US Coast Guard to board it late last month as it neared Venezuelan waters.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday said it was “following with concern” the US pursuit of the tanker.
According to the ministry, which spoke to state-run media before reports of the escort emerged, the vessel was sailing under the Russian flag and was operating far from US territorial waters.
“For reasons unclear to us, the Russian vessel is receiving heightened attention from the US and NATO militaries — attention that is clearly disproportionate to its peaceful status,” the ministry said.
Venezuelan Oil, Sanctions
Since coming under pursuit by the US Coast Guard, the vessel reportedly changed its registration to Russia, adopted the name Marinera, and had a Russian flag painted on its hull.
The incident forms part of a renewed crackdown by US President Donald Trump on oil tankers linked to Venezuela and other sanctioned states.
Although the tanker had been heading toward Venezuela, reports said it was not carrying cargo at the time it evaded the US blockade.
The vessel has been under US sanctions since 2024 over alleged ties to Iran and Hezbollah.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing unnamed US officials, that Russia deployed “a submarine and other naval assets” to escort the tanker. Reuters also reported that the US Coast Guard separately intercepted another Venezuela-linked tanker in Latin American waters.
Trump earlier this week claimed that Venezuela would hand over tens of millions of barrels of oil to the United States, following a US raid that removed the country’s anti-American president and installed a more cooperative leadership.
However, it remains unclear whether Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, agreed to the arrangement, how it would be implemented, or what legal framework would apply.
Last Saturday, US special forces reportedly seized President Nicolás Maduro and his wife in Caracas and transported them to New York to face trial on drug-related charges.
Since then, Trump has stated that the United States would “run” Venezuela and that US companies would control the country’s oil sector.
