Why US seized Russian-flagged oil tanker Bella 1, Panama-flagged Sophia amid Venezuela tensions - Explained

The US on Wednesday confirmed that it has seized two sanctioned oil tankers linked to Venezuela in the North Atlantic and the Caribbean

The US on Wednesday confirmed that it has seized two sanctioned oil tankers linked to Venezuela in the North Atlantic and the Caribbean. One of them, merchant vessel Bella 1, was Russian-flagged and had changed its name to the Marinera after fleeing the American blockade of Venezuela last month. The Southern Command further confirmed that M Sophia, which was Panama-flagged, is under sanctions. It was described as a ‘stateless, sanctioned dark fleet motor tanker’.

Oil tanker Marinera, foremrly known as Bella 1 photographerd at sea in the Singapore Strait on March 18, 2025 (AFP)

Then, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said in a social media post that both ships were ‘either last docked in Venezuela or en route to it’.

The UK stated that it provided support to the US in its seizure of Bella 1. “UK Armed Forces provided pre-planned operational support, including basing, to US military assets interdicting the Bella 1 in the UK-Iceland-Greenland gap following a US request for assistance,” the defense ministry said in a statement.

The UK’s RFA Tideforce tanker supported American forces in ‘pursuing and interdicting’ the vessel, while its air force ‘provided surveillance support from the air’.

“Today our UK Armed Forces showed skill and professionalism in support of a successful US interception of the vessel Bella 1 while on its way to Russia. This action formed part of global efforts to crack down on sanctions busting,” Defense Secretary John Healey said.

Healey said that the ship was a ‘part of a Russian-Iranian axis of sanctions evasion which is fueling terrorism, conflict, and misery from the Middle East to Ukraine’.

Why did the US seize the two oil tankers?

Noem explained the US's actions. She said that the Coast Guard ‘conducted back-to-back, meticulously coordinated boarding of two “ghost fleet” tanker ships’.

“Both vessels —the Motor Tanker Bella I and the Motor Taker Sophia—were either last docked in Venezuela or en route to it," she posted on X, platform formerly known as Twitter.

“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.”

Noem's warning to ‘world’s criminals'

The Homeland Security Secretary added that 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.”