The US has seized a “rogue” Russian oil tanker with links to Venezuela which had been travelling off British waters in the North Atlantic.
US forces boarded the MV Marinera, a Russian-flagged vessel previously known as MV Bella 1, as it travelled north-east between Scotland and Iceland.
The vessel is thought to have evaded Donald Trump’s “naval blockade” for weeks following sanctions aimed at thwarting Venezuela’s oil trade.
There have been unfounded rumours of gold and weapons being on-board. Meanwhile commentators have speculated that the seizure shows Trump is trying to send a “strongman” message to Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
What do we know so far?
US law enforcement officials boarded the Marinera oil tanker on Wednesday, supported by the country’s armed forces. There are no indications so far of gunfire during the seizure.
A Russian submarine and warship were close by at the time of the vessel’s capture, US officials told Reuters. The crew of the oil tanker are believed to have painted a Russian flag on its side, and claimed formal Russian status.
The US European Command said the seizure – following weeks of pursuit – related to “violations of US sanctions”, which are aimed at blocking illicit Venezuelan oil trade.
The ship was sanctioned in 2024 by the US for allegedly smuggling cargo for a company linked to Iran-allied Lebanese militant group, Hezbollah.
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, 2026Those trading in oil with Venezuela, including Russia and Iran, have resorted to a “shadow fleet” of tankers, according to industry analysts.
It comes after the Trump administration’s weekend raid on Venezuela, which led to the capture of then-president Nicolás Maduro.
Trump has said he wants the country to give the US and its companies “total access” to Venezuela’s oil. It follows waves of nationalisation in the South American country.
How is Russia involved?
Russia made a formal request last month demanding that the US stop chasing the oil tanker, and accused Washington of violating maritime law after the seizure.
Kremlin adviser Andrei Fedorov said the vessel was formally registered in the Russian port city of Sochi within hours of the vessel changing its painted flags from Venezuelan to Russian.
Just ahead of the tanker’s seizure, Fedorov, Russia’s ex-deputy foreign minister, warned such a move would be considered an attack on Russia.
“It could lead to very critical or maybe even crisis situation in relations between Russia and US,” he told BBC Radio 4’s World At One.
What are the rumours about gold and weapons?
Some social media users have shared rumours that the ship was carrying gold or weapons. There is no evidence of such claims.
However, Venezuela did transport gold worth almost $5.2bn to Switzerland during the early years Maduro’s presidency between 2013 and 2016, according to Reuters.
Mykola Kuzmin, operations manager at the Henry Jackson Society, a right-wing UK think-tank, speculated that the tanker could have been carrying weapons – or even Russian or Iranian advisers to Venezuela.
Was the tanker carrying any oil?
The oil tanker’s journey in recent months indicates that it was empty of cargo when it was seized on Wednesday, according to experts.
Samir Madani, the co-founder of TankerTrackers, told The i Paper that it had travelled from Iran through the Suez Canal.
US forces seized the Marinera near the north coast of Scotland (Photo Hakon Rimmereid/Reuters)Madani said that a ship of this size is “unable to traverse the Suez Canal” while carrying oil. He said there was high level of confidence the tanker was attempting to head to Venezuela to load barrels of oil.
The tanker previously transferred its cargo to another tanker off the coast of Oman, according to a New York Times report using satellite imagery and tracking data.
Is Trump sending a message to Putin?
By defying Moscow’s demands to stop chasing the Venezuelan oil tanker, Trump has risked escalating tensions with Russia – already high over the war in Ukraine.
Some believe Trump’s actions are a show of strength aimed at Putin. The US President suggested as much in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday, claiming: “The only Nation that China and Russia fear and respect is the DJT REBUILT USA” – referring to his initials.
However, some experts have warned that Trump’s “strongman” tactics in capturing Maduro and overturning Venezuelan’s oil market risks emboldening an authoritarian regime like Russia.
The i Paper’s US commentator Simon Marks wrote that Trump is “sending a signal” that he is “ready to carve the world” up with his competitors – including Putin. He said Trump wants to be seen as “a strongman on the world stage”.
Has the UK been helping the US?
Defence Secretary John Healey said RAF planes and bases, and a Royal Navy tanker, provided support to US special forces to seize the tanker.
Flight tracking websites showed US aircraft landing at a Scottish airport, Wick John O’Groats, before flying further north towards Iceland.
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The U-28A aircraft are used by the US air force’s special operations command and are used for intelligence-gathering and co-ordinating other aircraft.
A British military transport aircraft, an Atlas A400M, could also be seen in the vicinity of the vessel. Earlier on Tuesday, an RAF RC-135W Rivet Joint surveillance plane was seen flying over the path of the tanker.
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