High Seas Showdown as US Seizes Sanctioned Tankers

The United States (US) has seized two oil tankers it says were part of a network used to move Venezuelan crude oil in defiance of sanctions, escalating Washington’s pressure campaign after its recent operation to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.

The seizures were carried out in predawn operations on Wednesday, following weeks of tracking across international waters. In a statement posted on X, US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said, “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 added that both vessels, the BellaI and the Sophia, “were either last docked in Venezuela or en route to it”, and said the operation was part of a broader effort to disrupt sanctions evasion and illicit oil trade.

The first tanker was intercepted in the North Atlantic near Iceland after a pursuit that began in mid-December. The second vessel was boarded close to the Caribbean and is being escorted to the US. US officials said both ships had taken steps to obscure ownership and destination, a hallmark of what Washington describes as Venezuela’s ghost or shadow fleet.

The United Kingdom (UK) confirmed it had assisted in the Atlantic operation. Its Ministry of Defence said, “The UK provided pre-planned operational support, including basing, to assist the United States in enforcing international sanctions,” adding that the support was delivered “in full compliance with international law”.

During the pursuit, Russia dispatched naval assets towards one of the tankers, including surface vessels and a submarine, but US forces completed the boarding before any Russian intervention occurred. Moscow later condemned the seizure. The Transport Ministry said the action violated international maritime law and argued that “no state has the right to use force against vessels duly registered under the jurisdiction of other states”.

US officials maintain the seizures were conducted under judicial authority and international sanction frameworks. The twin boardings, coming just days after Maduro’s capture, signal a more assertive American approach to sanctions enforcement, relying not only on financial and legal pressure but on direct maritime interdiction to constrain Venezuela’s remaining oil exports.

As Washington presses ahead with this strategy, attention will turn to how Caracas and Moscow respond, and whether further maritime operations follow in the weeks ahead.