US seizes Bella 1 and Sophia sanctioned tankers in North Atlantic and Caribbean

The United States has carried out two separate interdiction operations against sanctioned oil tankers on January 7, 2026, seizing one vessel in the North Atlantic and apprehending another in the Caribbean Sea, in what US officials describe as an intensified enforcement campaign against illicit maritime activity linked to sanctioned oil networks.

Bella 1 seized in the North Atlantic

US European Command (EUCOM) confirmed that the M/V Bella 1 was seized in the North Atlantic pursuant to a warrant issued by a US federal court for violations of US sanctions.

According to EUCOM, the operation was conducted by the US Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security, in coordination with the Department of Defense. The vessel was tracked by the US Coast Guard cutter USCGC Munro before being seized.

“The blockade of sanctioned and illicit Venezuelan oil remains in FULL EFFECT — anywhere in the world,” Secretary of War Pete Hegseth commented.

“The United States continues to enforce the blockade against all dark fleet vessels illegally transporting Venezuelan oil to finance illicit activity, stealing from the Venezuelan people,” Hegseth added in a later statement. “Only legitimate and lawful energy commerce—as determined by the U.S.—will be permitted.”

The tanker, originally operating as Bella 1, had been under US scrutiny since mid-2024, when it was sanctioned by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control for transporting oil for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a branch of Iran’s Armed Forces. The vessel is registered to Turkey-based Louis Marine Shipholding ENT, which is also under US sanctions.

In late 2025, the tanker evaded earlier US Coast Guard boarding efforts off Venezuela and later changed its name to Marinera, adopting the Russian flag as it moved away from the Caribbean and into the North Atlantic. Reporting also indicated the crew painted a Russian flag on the hull, and that Moscow sent a diplomatic note urging Washington to halt its pursuit.

Images later released by Russia Today appeared to show a US MH-6 Little Bird helicopter operating near the vessel, an aircraft typically used by the US Army 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR). AeroTime has not independently verified the images.

The tanker was monitored by US surveillance assets, including P-8 maritime patrol aircraft, as it moved northward. The Wall Street Journal reported that Russia may have deployed naval assets, including a submarine, to escort the ship, claims that have not been independently confirmed.

M/T Sophia detained in the Caribbean

The Bella 1 seizure coincided with a separate operation announced by US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), underscoring the geographic breadth of the US enforcement push.

In a pre-dawn action, SOUTHCOM said the Department of War, in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security, apprehended a stateless, sanctioned “dark fleet” motor tanker, identified as M/T Sophia, without incident. The vessel was operating in international waters in the Caribbean Sea and was described as conducting illicit activities.

In a video released with the announcement, an SH-60 Seahawk helicopter is seen inserting personnel onto the tanker.

According to SOUTHCOM, the US Coast Guard is escorting M/T Sophia to the United States for “final disposition.” The operation was conducted under Operation Southern Spear, a broader campaign aimed at disrupting illicit maritime networks in the Western Hemisphere.