Seized in the North Atlantic Sea

The blockade of sanctioned and illicit Venezuelan oil remains in FULL EFFECT — anywhere in the world. https://t.co/iTPUWqrFiB

— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) January 7, 2026

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. Both vessels —the Motor Tanker Bella I and the Motor… pic.twitter.com/EZlHEtcufX

— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) January 7, 2026

… Taker Sophia—were either last docked in Venezuela or en route to it.

Under President Trump’s bold and visionary leadership, US Coast Guard tactical teams worked closely with its counterparts at the Departments of War, Department of Justice and State and used their specialized expertise to conduct these operations and conduct two safe, effective boardings within hours of each other.

One of these tankers, Motor Tanker Bella I, has been trying to evade the Coast Guard for weeks, even changing its flag and painting a new name on the hull while being pursued, in a desperate and failed attempt to escape justice. The heroic crew of the USCGC Munro pursued this vessel across the high seas and through treacherous storms— keeping diligent watch, and protecting our country with the determination and patriotism that make Americans proud. These brave men and women deserve our nation’s thanks for their selfless devotion to duty.

The world’s criminals are on notice. You can run, but you can’t hide. We will never relent in our mission to protect the American people and disrupt the funding of narco terrorism wherever we find it, period.

This is our country’s greatest fighting force at their best. This is America first at sea.

Russia has dispatched a submarine and several warships to escort a shadow-fleet tanker that the United States attempted to seize off the coast of Venezuela and is now pursuing in the Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The tanker Bella 1 spent more than two weeks trying… pic.twitter.com/7uPpm9OvOw

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) January 7, 2026

… to bypass the U.S. blockade on Venezuela but failed to dock and load cargo. In December, the vessel's crew repelled a U.S. attempt to board the ship and then sailed into the Atlantic Ocean.

It is now being pursued in international waters by the U.S. Coast Guard.

The tanker has since re-registered as Russian, been renamed Marinera, and the crew painted a Russian flag on the hull.

According to U.S. sources, Russia then asked Washington to stop pursuing what it now claims is a Russian vessel. On Tuesday, Russia's Foreign Ministry said it was following the situation around the tanker "with concern."

The ship is currently sailing about 300 miles south of Iceland toward the North Sea. A Russian submarine and other naval assets are moving in to support it.