New Coast Guard video shows pursuit of sanctioned oil tanker Bella 1
Newly released U.S. Coast Guard video shows American forces shadowing the tanker formerly known as the Bella 1 across the North Atlantic before seizing it under a federal warrant. The footage adds new detail to a weeks-long pursuit that U.S. officials said underscores how aggressively the administration is enforcing its embargo on Venezuelan oil.
The video, posted by the Coast Guard on X, shows the cutter Munro tracking the vessel during a maritime interdiction operation on Jan. 7. U.S. European Command said the tanker was seized for violating U.S. sanctions after attempting to evade enforcement measures related to Venezuela’s oil trade.
U.S. officials said the Bella 1 had been under surveillance since last month after attempting to slip past a blockade targeting sanctioned oil shipments linked to Venezuela.
A chase that crossed an ocean
The Bella 1 was moving across the Atlantic in mid-December, nearing the Caribbean, when it abruptly changed course and headed north toward Europe. The turn came days after the U.S. seized another tanker on Dec. 10, 2025, that had departed Venezuela carrying oil.
As the pursuit continued, the vessel changed its name to the Marinera, repainted markings on its hull and switched its registration to Russia.
U.S. authorities said the ship was ultimately seized in the North Atlantic under a warrant issued by a U.S. federal court, after being tracked by the cutter Munro. The vessel was not carrying oil at the time of the boarding.
The operation unfolded far from U.S. shores and involved significant military backing. U.S. special operations forces boarded the tanker, supported by surveillance aircraft, fighter jets and naval assets. The United Kingdom provided operational and aerial support, according to British defense officials, and U.S. military aircraft were observed operating out of bases in the U.K. during the final phase of the chase.
Russia condemned the seizure, calling it a violation of maritime law and demanding humane treatment and the return of Russian citizens aboard the ship. U.S. officials rejected that argument, saying the vessel had been deemed stateless after flying a false flag and was subject to a valid judicial seizure order.
Another tanker, another message
As the Bella 1 operation played out, U.S. forces also seized a second tanker, the M/T Sophia, in the Caribbean. U.S. authorities said the vessel was operating in international waters while carrying out illicit activity linked to Venezuelan oil exports.
According to ship-tracking and oil market data cited by U.S. officials, the Sophia was carrying roughly two million barrels of Venezuelan crude loaded late last month. The Coast Guard is now escorting the tanker to the United States.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem described the two boardings as safe and effective in a post on X, saying the operations were coordinated across the departments of Defense, Justice, State and Homeland Security. In footage released by the department, armed U.S. personnel can be seen boarding and searching the vessel during a predawn raid.
Criminal enforcement, not symbolism
The White House has framed the seizures as law enforcement actions, not symbolic shows of force.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the Bella 1 was part of a Venezuelan shadow fleet that had transported sanctioned oil and was operating under a judicial seizure order.
“And the United States of America, under this president, is not going to tolerate that,” Leavitt said. “The crew is now subject to prosecution for any applicable violation of federal law, and they will be brought to the United States for such prosecution if necessary.”
Leavitt downplayed concerns that the seizures could escalate tensions with Russia or China, saying Trump is prepared to enforce the embargo against any sanctioned vessel, anywhere in the world.
The oil and the endgame
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the tanker seizures are tied to a broader plan for Venezuela’s oil and its post-Maduro future.
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The U.S. first imposed sanctions on Venezuela in 2005 when the country refused to cooperate with anti-drug and counter-terrorism efforts.
Rubio told reporters Wednesday that the U.S. is preparing to take control of between 30 and 50 million barrels of Venezuelan oil that the country has been unable to move because of sanctions and enforcement pressure. The oil would be sold at market rates, he said, with the proceeds controlled by the United States rather than the former regime.
“That money will then be handled in such a way that we will control how it is dispersed,” Rubio said, “in a way that benefits the Venezuelan people, not corruption, not the regime.”
U.S. officials said the embargo and seizures have already crippled Venezuelan oil exports and are designed to force cooperation from interim authorities while cutting off revenue streams tied to corruption and illicit trade.
For now, the administration is sending a blunt signal. The embargo is active. The enforcement is global. And tankers that try to run it are being treated as targets, not warnings.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
