US has moved to assert strict control over the production and sale of Venezuelan oil since attacking the country this month.
Published On 21 Jan 202621 Jan 2026
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The United States military announced that it has seized a seventh Venezuela-linked oil tanker, as the US tightens its control over the production and sale of the country’s considerable oil resources.
US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), which oversees military operations in Latin America, said on Tuesday that it captured the Motor Vessel Sagitta as part of its blockade on oil vessels leaving and entering the country.
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“The apprehension of another tanker operating in defiance of President Trump’s established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean demonstrates our resolve to ensure that the only oil leaving Venezuela will be oil that is coordinated properly and lawfully,” SOUTHCOM said in a statement.
It added that Tuesday’s tanker seizure occurred “without incident”, sharing a video appearing to show US forces flying towards the vessel and landing on its deck.
The US began seizing sanctioned tankers on December 10, as part of a campaign of increasing pressure on Venezuela.
Tensions between the US and Venezuela came to a peak on January 3, when US President Donald Trump authorised a predawn military operation to abduct his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolas Maduro.
In the lead-up to that operation, Trump and allies like Stephen Miller had been increasingly vocal about laying claim to Venezuelan oil, given the US’s history of prospecting for petroleum there in the early 20th century.
But by 1971, Venezuela had nationalised its oil industry. Efforts to expropriate assets from foreign oil companies in 2007 have further fuelled criticism from the Trump administration, which considers Venezuelan oil “stolen” from US owners.
Legal experts, however, largely consider such arguments a violation of Venezuelan sovereignty.
Trump has nevertheless said the US will control Venezuela’s oil and has used the threat of further military attacks to pressure Venezuela’s government into compliance.
The Trump administration has also placed steep sanctions on Venezuela’s economy, as part of a trend stretching back to the Republican leader’s first term as president.
The US has framed the tanker seizures as a way of enforcing those sanctions, although the legality of using military force to enforce economic penalties is disputed.
Trump and his officials have said that the sale of Venezuelan oil on the world market will be dictated by the US and that the proceeds from those sales will be placed in a US-controlled bank account.
Trump has also used control over Venezuela’s oil to ratchet up pressure on Cuba, for which access to Venezuelan oil is an important economic lifeline.
The US president told reporters on Tuesday at a White House briefing that he has taken 50 million barrels of oil from Venezuela.
“We’ve got millions of barrels of oil left,” he said at the White House. “We’re selling it on the open market. We’re bringing down oil prices incredibly.”
Interim Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez, meanwhile, said that her country had received $300m from recent oil sales. In her inaugural state of the union address last week, she signalled that her administration would reform the country’s hydrocarbon law to allow more foreign investment in future.
US forces say another Venezuela-linked tanker seized as Trump continues moves to take control of nation’s oil reserves.
Published On 16 Jan 202616 Jan 2026
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United States forces have seized an oil tanker in the Caribbean that the Trump administration said had links to Venezuela, the sixth tanker vessel detained as Washington moves to take full control of Venezuelan oil resources.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the US Coast Guard had boarded the tanker Veronica early on Thursday.
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Noem said the vessel had previously passed through Venezuelan waters and was operating in defiance of President Donald Trump’s “established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean”.
US Marines and sailors stationed on board the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R Ford took part in the operation alongside a coastguard tactical team, which Noem said conducted the boarding.
The US military said the ship was seized “without incident”.
The Veronica is the sixth sanctioned tanker seized by US forces as part of President Trump’s promise to take indefinite control of the production, refining and global distribution of Venezuela’s oil products. It was also the fourth ship seized since the US abducted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a military operation in Caracas almost two weeks ago.
The latest seizure came as Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, told parliament on Thursday that there would be reforms to legislation governing Venezuela’s oil sector. The Hydrocarbons Law, among other provisions, limits the involvement of foreign entities in exploiting the country’s national resources.
Without providing details, Rodriguez told parliament the reforms would touch on Venezuela’s so-called anti-blockade law, which provides the government with tools to counteract US sanctions in place since 2019.
Rodriguez said the envisioned legal reform would result in money for “new fields, to fields where there has never been investment, and to fields where there is no infrastructure”.
Rodriguez also said funds from oil would go to workers and public services.
Oil exports are Venezuela’s main source of revenue.
Since Maduro’s abduction, Trump has claimed the US now controls Venezuela’s oil sector and has made clear that the takeover of the country’s vast oil reserves was a key goal of his military onslaught against the nation and its leader.
Addressing oil executives last week, Trump said: “You’re dealing with us directly and not dealing with Venezuela at all. We don’t want you to deal with Venezuela.”
Venezuela sits on about a fifth of the world’s oil reserves and was once a major crude supplier to the US.
But Venezuela only produced about 1 percent of the world’s total crude output in 2024, according to OPEC, having been hampered by years of underinvestment, US sanctions and embargoes.
Jan. 9 (UPI) — The United States on Friday seized another oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea as it works to control Venezuela’s oil, military officials said.
The U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Marines captured the Olina overnight, officials said.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted on X that the ship was “suspected of carrying embargoed oil” and had tried “to evade U.S. forces” as it left Venezuela.
The U.S. Southern Command posted on X that it’s “unwavering in its mission to defend our homeland by ending illicit activity and restoring security in the Western Hemisphere.”
“In a pre-dawn action, Marines and Sailors from Joint Task Force Southern Spear, in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security, launched from the USS Gerald R. Ford and apprehended Motor/Tanker Olina in the Caribbean Sea without incident,” the post said.
The operation was part of Joint Task Force Southern Spear.
The Coast Guard is planning to boost its ability to inspect and repair seized foreign tankers, The Washington Post reported, signaling that it will continue to seize the tankers. Many of the tankers are in too poor condition to be accepted by U.S. ports.
The Coast Guard sent out an internal call for personnel to increase its teams of inspectors to visit seized tankers, assess them and fix safety concerns before they come to U.S. ports, The Post reported. The message does not say how many people it needs, but it does say that those eligible must be “capable of offshore boardings and long hours aboard the vessel.”
“These vessels are stateless and beyond substandard,” the Coast Guard said in its internal message.
Since President Donald Trump declared a “complete blockade” of Venezuelan oil exports in December, the Coast Guard has taken at least four ships.
In mid-December, the U.S. seized an oil tanker called The Skipper. It is held offshore near the Port of Galveston, Texas. On Wednesday, the U.S. seized the Bella-1 in the North Atlantic after pursuing the ship for weeks. It also seized the Sophia in the Caribbean.
On Friday, the Kremlin thanked Washington for agreeing to release two of the Bella-1’s Russian crew members.
“In response to our appeal, U.S. President Donald Trump has decided to release two Russian citizens from among the crew of the tanker Marinera, who had previously been detained by the American side during an operation in the North Atlantic,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement on Telegram. “We welcome this decision and express our gratitude to the U.S. leadership.”
“Ghost fleets” like the Bella-1 operate with false paperwork or flags. They ship sanctioned oil to China and other destinations. The U.S. government has said the oil sales fund narco-terrorism.
Mark Cancian, senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told The Post there are hundreds of these ships and are often in bad shape. If they don’t meet safety standards or risk a spill, they are denied entry to a U.S. port.
“They tend to be at the end of their service life — old, in poor condition,” Cancian said.
US forces have seized another tanker in the Caribbean Sea, officials say, as the Trump administration continues its efforts to control exports of Venezuelan oil.
The tanker, the Olina, is on multiple countries’ sanctions lists and the fifth vessel to be seized by the US in recent weeks.
The US is using the seizures to pressure Venezuela’s interim government and remove the so-called dark fleet of tankers from service. Officials say this fleet consists of more than 1,000 vessels that transport sanctioned and illicit oil.
“Once again, our joint interagency forces sent a clear message this morning: ‘there is no safe haven for criminals,'” said the US military’s Southern Command on Friday.
The vessel reportedly left Venezuelan waters late on Sunday, after the US seized President Nicolás Maduro in an early morning raid.
Officials said Friday’s operation was carried out before dawn by Marines and sailors in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security, and that it was seized after it “departed Venezuela attempting to evade US forces”.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote on X that it was “another ‘ghost fleet’ tanker ship suspected of carrying embargoed oil”.
Noem also shared a video appearing to show troops dropping onto a ship from a helicopter, and described the operation as “safe” and “effective”.
Maritime risk company Vanguard Tech said the vessel was attempting to break through the US naval blockade in the Caribbean. It had been sailing under a false flag registered to Timor-Leste, according to the International Maritime Organization.
Vanguard Tech added that the vessel’s location tracker was last active 52 days ago, northeast of Curacao, and that “the seizure follows a prolonged pursuit of tankers linked to sanctioned Venezuelan oil shipments in the region”.
The US had sanctioned the Olina last January, then named Minerva M, accusing it of helping finance Russia’s war in Ukraine by moving Russian oil to foreign markets.
Earlier this week, the US said it seized two other tankers linked to Venezuelan oil exports in “back-to-back” operations in the North Atlantic and Caribbean.
One of them was the Russian-flagged Marinera seized with the help of the UK Royal Navy, which gave logistical support by air and sea.
The Marinera is allegedly part of shadow fleet carrying oil for Venezuela, Russia and Iran, breaking US sanctions. US officials said that Marinera was falsely flying the flag of Guyana last month, which made it stateless.
US authorities alleged the second tanker – the M/T Sophia – was “conducting illicit activities”.
Experts have told BBC Verify that under UN international maritime law, authroties can board a stateless vessel.
President Donald Trump says Venezuela – which has the world’s largest proven oil reserves – “will be turning over” up to 50 million barrels of oil worth some $2.8bn (£2.1bn) to the US.
The oil, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, would be sold “in the marketplace at market rates” and that the US would control how the proceeds were dispersed “in a way that benefits the Venezuelan people”.
Until recently known as the Bella-1 before it was re-registered and the crew painted a Russian flag on it, the Marinera is part of a so-called shadow fleet. These vessels are transporting oil for Russia, Iran and Venezuela in violation of sanctions imposed by the United States and other countries. The Coast Guard attempted to board the ship, which never made it to port in Venezuela and is empty, on Dec. 20. However, the crew refused to allow it. As we noted yesterday,CBS News reported that the U.S. is drawing up plans to interdict the boat. You can catch up to our most recent coverage of the pursuit for this ship in our story here.
The video posted by RT shows the cutter following the Marinera on a roughly parallel course in choppy seas in the North Atlantic. It is unclear from the video which cutter is following the Marinera. The oil tanker is reportedly located between Iceland and Scotland.
The 418-foot-long Legend class cutters often perform interdictions and can accommodate two MH-65 Dolphin helicopters, or one MH-65 or MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter and two vertically launched unmanned aerial vehicles. A Coast Guard official told us that the service is phasing out its Insitu ScanEagle drones in favor of Shield AI V-BAT drones.
It is unclear from the video if any aircraft are embarked.
The cutters are armed with a Mk. 110 57 mm deck gun; a Phalanx 20 mm close-in weapon system (CWIS), a Mk. 53 decoy launching system (NULKA); and four M2 .50-caliber machine guns.
USCG Legend class cutter Hamilton. (USCG)
Regardless of how many aviation assets it carries or how it is armed, a lone cutter in the high seas has not proven adequate to board the Marinera. Concerns about the effort have been exacerbated by Venezuelan officials having discussed “the placement of armed military personnel on tankers — disguising them as civilians for defense purposes — as well as portable Soviet-era air defense systems,” CBS reported. That’s likely why the U.S. is planning a much larger and far more capable and well defended force to do so.
In December, when the U.S. boarded the M/T Skipper, another sanctioned Russian oil tanker, law enforcement and military personnel were fast-roped from a Navy MH-65 Seahawk embarked aboard the world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, not too far from Venezuela. You can see that boarding in the following video.
Today, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States Coast Guard, with support from the Department of War, executed a seizure warrant for a crude oil tanker used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran. For multiple… pic.twitter.com/dNr0oAGl5x
As word has spread of a possible U.S. boarding, Russian milbloggers say the Marinera may be headed for the Baltic Sea, “where it will be met and escorted by the Russian fleet, unless the Americans or British manage to board the Marinera beforehand.”
Russian milblogger Military Informant says the tanker Marinera will likely be met and escorted by the Russian fleet once it enters the Baltic Sea. The vessel is currently being pursued by the US in the North Atlantic. pic.twitter.com/occZFLsH8n
Meanwhile, as the Legend class cutter follows the Marinera on the water, the U.S. and allies continue their aerial surveillance efforts.
According to flight tracking data, U.K. Typhoon fighters, accompanied by KC-2 aerial refueling tankers, flew over the North Atlantic in the area where the tanker was last seen.
The Typhoons join U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol jets, and Irish Air Corps C-295W maritime search aircraft in tracking the Marinera.
Beyond the ongoing flights, the U.S. is continuing to add aviation assets to the U.K. that could take part in any effort to track and board the Marinera. On Tuesday, a U.S. Air Force U-2 Dragon Lady high altitude surveillance jet was deployed to RAF Fairford, according to online flight tracking data. It isn’t clear if this high-flying asset is there for a potential raiding operation or other taskings. U-2s fly out of RAF Fairford regularly.
10:30~ DRAGON 86 USAF U-2/s Dragon Lady Inbound RAF Fairford from Beale AFB. Maintaining FL600 and not yet requested descent. Calling “DRAGON OPS” uhf 33#.## in the red #DRAGON86 (no mode-s) pic.twitter.com/qOhoHoZ0cR
A future boarding effort is not the only reason these aircraft may have been deployed to England, which you can read about in our previous report. However, those possibilities are looking less probable as the pursuit of the Marinera continues.
An AC-130J Ghostrider gunship at RAF Mildenhall on Sunday. (Andrew McKelvey)
Meanwhile, Moscow is watching all this with a wary eye.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said it was “monitoring with concern the anomalous situation surrounding the Russian oil tanker Marinera,” NBC News reported.
“For several days now, Marinera has been followed by a U.S. Coast Guard ship, despite the fact that the vessel is located approximately 4,000 kilometers (2,485 miles) from the U.S. coastline,” the statement added.
“At present, the vessel is navigating international waters of the North Atlantic under the state flag of the Russian Federation and in full compliance with international maritime law,” the Foreign Ministry continued. “At the same time, for reasons that remain unclear to us, the Russian vessel is receiving heightened attention from U.S. and NATO military forces that is clearly disproportionate to its peaceful status. We expect that Western countries, which consistently declare their commitment to freedom of navigation on the high seas, will begin by adhering to this principle in their own actions.”
‘We are monitoring the abnormal situation around the Russian tanker Marinera with concern’ — Russian MFA tells RT
Despite being 4,000 km from US shores, the civilian vessel is shadowed for days by US and NATO assets
Despite any concerns, Russia has yet to deploy ships or aircraft to support the Marinera. Given its location, it will be days before the ship could reach the Baltic. There, a more robust Russian presence not too far from its shores could complicate any interdiction efforts.
For the moment, the oil tanker is making its way toward Russia unimpeded and it remains unknown if President Donald Trump will give the order to board it. Whether that happens is something we will be following closely.
Update: 8:39 PM Eastern –
The Russians have sent a submarine and other naval assets to escort the Marinera, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday night.
Update: 1/7/2026
U.S. forces have now boarded and secured the Marinera. You can find our continuing courage here.
Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy.
U.S. forces have secured the runaway Russian-flagged oil tanker Marinera, a U.S. official has confirmed to TWZ. Elements of the U.S. Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment and other American aviation assets had previously deployed to the United Kingdom ahead of an apparent effort to board the ship. Readers can get caught up on the pursuit with our latest coverage here.
Personnel from the U.S. military and the U.S. Coast Guard carried out the boarding operation, according to reports from Reuters and The Wall Street Journal. Russian news outlet RT had earlier released imagery said to have been taken from the deck of the Marinera showing an MH-6 Little Bird helicopter, a type operated by the 160th SOAR, approaching the ship.
In the past several hours, open source flight tracking had also shown a large number of aircraft from bases in the United Kingdom heading north toward where the ship is located.
UPDATE 1200Z 07/JAN/2026 – We’ve confirmed a few of the earlier RAF flights are involved in other routine operations, but we now have a confirmed stream of US support aircraft, ISTAR and other platforms heading for the UK-Iceland gap, likely staging for the tanker Op!#BELLA1… https://t.co/knpNOL2oNKpic.twitter.com/wX2dBUluUQ
Ship tracking data available online had also shown the Marinera, which had been shadowed by a wide range of aviation assets and a U.S. Coast Guard cutter for weeks now, making a sharp turn to the south in the direction of the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Marinera (IMO 9230880) formally Bella 1 made a sudden southbound turn at 11:26 UTC near 60.9386N, 16.37014W, slowing from ~9 kn to ~8 kn.
Known until recently as the Bella-1 before it was re-registered and the crew painted a Russian flag on it, the Marinera is part of a so-called shadow fleet. These vessels are accused of transporting oil for Russia, Iran, and Venezuela in violation of sanctions imposed by the United States and other countries. On December 20, the Coast Guard had previously attempted to board the ship, which is not carrying any oil at present, as it headed toward Venezuela. However, the crew refused to allow it, and the ship began sailing back toward Europe. Reports earlier this week said that new U.S. plans to interdict the boat had subsequently been drawn up, tied to the aforementioned deployment of special operations forces and other assets to the United Kingdom.
The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that the Russian military had sent a submarine and other naval assets to escort the Marinera. Reuters has reported that Russian Navy vessels were in the vicinity when the boarding operation occurred.
Where the Marinera may now be headed and what its ultimate fate may be remains to be seen.
TWZ will continue to update this story as it develops.
Update: 9:14 AM Eastern –
U.S. European Command released a statement about the seizure on X.
It has been pointed out that Little Birds are not capable of being refueled in flight and likely would not have had the range to reach the tanker from bases on land in the region. It is more likely that any MH-6s involved in this operation launched from a ship closer by. The 160th SOAR is known to train to operate its Little Birds from Coast Guard cutters. Night Stalker helicopters also have a long history of flying from U.S. Navy ships, including recently during the operation to capture Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro.
A Little Bird aboard the Coast Guard cutter Diligence during a 2023 interdiction mission. (USCG)
We have reached out to the Pentagon and U.S. Coast Guard for more details and will update this story with any pertinent information provided.
Update: 9:32 AM Eastern –
The U.K. Defense Ministry (MoD) provided us with a statement about its aircraft observed over the North Atlantic.
“Quick Reaction Alert Typhoon fighter aircraft were launched on 6 Jan from RAF Lossiemouth…after unidentified aircraft were tracked flying towards UK airspace. The aircraft remained outside of our area of interest (UK FIR) and no intercept took place. The launch of RAF QRA aircraft from RAF Lossiemouth and supporting AAR Voyager from RAF Brize Norton was not associated with any form of maritime surveillance operations.”
Update: 9:36 AM Eastern –
War Secretary Pete Hegseth weighed in on the seizure, saying that “the blockade of sanctioned and illicit Venezuelan oil remains in FULL EFFECT – anywhere in the world.” The Marinera, however, never arrived in port and was not carrying any fuel.
Meanwhile, as the seizure of the Marinera was taking place, the U.S. also boarded another sanctioned oil tanker in the Caribbean, according to U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM).
“In a pre-dawn action this morning, the Department of War, in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security, apprehended a stateless, sanctioned dark fleet motor tanker without incident,” SOUTHCOM announced on X. “The interdicted vessel, M/T Sophia, was operating in international waters and conducting illicit activities in the Caribbean Sea. The U.S. Coast Guard is escorting M/T Sophia to the U.S. for final disposition. Through Operation Southern Spear, the Department of War is unwavering in its mission to crush illicit activity in the Western Hemisphere. We will defend our Homeland and restore security and strength across the Americas.”
In a pre-dawn action this morning, the Department of War, in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security, apprehended a stateless, sanctioned dark fleet motor tanker without incident.
The interdicted vessel, M/T Sophia, was operating in international waters and… pic.twitter.com/JQm9gHprPk
Officials in the U.K. would likely have had to sign off on this operation, The Times reported.
The British government would have given the green light for the American mission to seize a Venezuela-linked oil tanker, a senior UK military source tells @thetimeshttps://t.co/RNMph9P1zz
British aviation journalist Gareth Jennings notes that the Little Birds can be equipped with a 62-gallon auxiliary fuel tank, giving them an operating radius of about 670 kilometers (about 416 miles).
They can be equipped with a 62 US gallon auxiliary Goliath fuel tank to double the capacity of the 62 US gallon main fuel tank. Would give an approx 670 km operating radius.
There are several ways Little Birds can take part in a mission like this, as our editor-in-chief Tyler Rogoway notes.
Update: 9:57 AM Eastern –
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem also released a statement, confirming that the Coast Guard Legend class cutter trailing the Marinerawe wrote about yesterday was the Munro.
“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,” Noem stated on X. “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.”
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
“In accordance with the norms of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, a regime of freedom of navigation operates in the waters of the high seas, and no state has the right to use force against ships properly registered in the jurisdictions of other states,” the message said.
“According to the department, the ship received a temporary permit to sail under the Russian state flag on December 24th,” the official Russian RIA Novosti media outlet reported on Telegram. The vessel was boarded at 3 p.m. local time (7 a.m. Eastern).
The first official statement from the Russian government following the seizure of Russia-flagged MARINERA / BELLA-1 tanker by the United States.
Russian Ministry of Transport refers to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea:
— Status-6 (War & Military News) (@Archer83Able) January 7, 2026
Update: 10:39 AM Eastern –
Flight tracking data claims to show that U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) AC-130J Ghostrider gunships were overhead during the Marinera operation. While we can’t independently confirm this, TWZ has written about the value Ghostriders can bring to this kind of maritime interdiction operation, which you can read about here.
Ok so we have N103MC, and N167MC. We’ll have to find more.
I totally think these are tactical regs/hexes they are using for ops. https://t.co/imxwlH2gfY
As we previously reported, these aircraft arrived at RAF Mildenhall on Sunday. Local photographer Andrew McKelvey shared some photos of one of those Ghostriders, ARSON17, taking off from Mildenhall at about 9:45 a.m. local time (4:45 a.m. Eastern). AFSOC declined comment.
In a post on his Truth Social site yesterday, Trump explained that Venezuela will be turning over tens of millions of barrels of oil to the U.S. to sell.
“I am pleased to announce that the Interim Authorities in Venezuela will be turning over between 30 and 50 MILLION Barrels of High Quality, Sanctioned Oil, to the United States of America,” Trump proclaimed on Truth Social. “This Oil will be sold at its Market Price, and that money will be controlled by me, as President of the United States of America, to ensure it is used to benefit the people of Venezuela and the United States! I have asked Energy Secretary Chris Wright to execute this plan, immediately. It will be taken by storage ships, and brought directly to unloading docks in the United States.”
( @realDonaldTrump – Truth Social Post ) ( Donald J. Trump – Jan 06 2026, 6:46 PM ET )
I am pleased to announce that the Interim Authorities in Venezuela will be turning over between 30 and 50 MILLION Barrels of High Quality, Sanctioned Oil, to the Unit… pic.twitter.com/OKsLNqPShe
— Donald J Trump Posts TruthSocial (@TruthTrumpPost) January 7, 2026
Update: 12:04 AM Eastern –
The rhetoric from Moscow about the Marinera operation is ramping up.
“We need to attack with torpedoes and sink a couple of American patrol boats,” Alexei Zhuravlev, the first deputy head of the State Duma’s Defense Committee, said today. “The U.S. needs a military response to the Marinera situation. The U.S., which is enjoying a kind of euphoria of impunity after the special operation in Venezuela, can only be stopped now with a slap in the face like this.”
Update: 12:42 PM Eastern –
During her afternoon briefing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked several questions about the seizure of the Marinera, as well as the Sophia. She was also queried about whether she had any information about the Russian submarine that The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday said was deployed to escort the ship. Below are some of those interactions.
Q: Russia specifically asked the United States not to seize that tanker. Does this action risk a larger conflict with Russia?
A: The vessel this morning was seized in the North Atlantic pursuant to a warrant issued by a U.S. Federal Court after being tracked, and this was a Venezuelan shadow fleet vessel that has transported sanctioned oil. And the United States of America under this president is not going to tolerate that. I would also just add the vessel had a judicial seizure order and the crew, so that means 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.
Q: Are you concerned about increasing tensions with Russia because of the tanker?
A: “…with respect to these ships seizures, that means enforcing the embargo against all Dark Fleet vessels that are illegally transporting oil and only legitimate commerce. To answer your question … that’s the policy of this administration, and he’s not afraid to implement it.
Q: Was there any engagement with that submarine … and what is the deconfliction on the Russian use ahead of that type of warning package?
A: Again, this was a Venezuelan shadow fleet vessel that has transported sanctioned oil. The vessel was deemed stateless after flying a false flag, and it had a judicial seizure order, and that’s why the crew will be subject to prosecution.
Update: 12:57 PM Eastern –
The U.K. “provided enabling support to the United States at their request to interdict the vessel,” according to the MoD, which is using the ship’s previous name to reference it.
“U.K. armed forces provided pre-planned operational support, including basing, to U.S. military assets interdicting the Bella 1 between the U.K. and Iceland following a U.S. request for assistance,” the MoD said in a statement. “RFA Tideforce is providing support for U.S. forces pursuing and interdicting the Bella 1, while the RAF provided surveillance support from the air.”
“This ship, with a nefarious history, is part of a Russian-Iranian axis of sanctions evasion which is fuelling terrorism, conflict, and misery from the Middle East to Ukraine,” Defense Secretary John Healey said. “The UK will continue to step up our action against shadow fleet activity to protect our national security, our economy, and global stability – making Britain secure at home and strong abroad.”
“Deterring and disrupting the Russian shadow fleet is a priority for the U.K.,” MoD added. “To date, we have imposed sanctions on 520 Russian shadow fleet vessels. This is working. For example, Russia’s critical oil revenues are down 27% compared to October 2024, the lowest since the start of the war in Ukraine.”
Update: 1:57 PM Eastern –
Speaking to reporters on Capitol Hill in between Congressional briefings on Venezuela, Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed that the Venezuelans want the oil from the seized tanker Sophia to be part of the aforementioned deal Trump stated on Truth Social.
NEW: Sec. Hegseth and Sec. Rubio speak after Senate briefing on Venezuela:
“They want that oil that was seized to be part of this deal. They understand that the only way they can move oil and generate revenue and not have economic collapse is if they cooperate and work with the… pic.twitter.com/EbUz1LNaA4
“We are going to take between 30 and 50 million barrels of oil. We’re going to sell it in the marketplace at market rates, not at the discounts Venezuela was getting. That money will then be handled in such a way that we will control how it is dispersed in a way that benefits the… pic.twitter.com/HdUEYRi8zO
Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy.
Images showing an MH-6 Little Bird taking part in today’s operation to seize the runaway Russian-flagged oil tanker Marinera, hundreds of miles away from the nearest land, were widely met with befuddlement. This is a relatively tiny special operations helicopter that cannot be refueled in flight and has a short range. However, its small size and incredible transportability means that it can appear from virtually anywhere, on land or at sea. These are among the capabilities that have long endeared the type to the U.S. Army’s elite 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR), better known as the Night Stalkers.
Readers can get up to speed on the operation targeting the Marinera with our reporting here.
Russian news outlet RT first published imagery said to have been taken from the deck of the reflagged Marinera, showing at least one MH-6 Little Bird approaching the ship. Fox News and CBS News have now reported that helicopters from the 160th SOAR brought in U.S. Navy SEALs to board the ship as it sailed in the North Atlantic. TWZ has been working to independently confirm the employment of the Little Birds, specifically, as well as other details about the operation. U.S. aviation assets, especially various special operations types, had been spotted pouring into the United Kingdom amid reports that an attempt to seize the tanker, formerly known as the Bella 1, looked increasingly imminent. The Night Stalkers had already had a monumental past week with their role in the operation to capture Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro over the weekend.
U.S. Navy SEALs flown by TF 160 (“Night Stalkers”) commandeered the oil tanker previously named Bella 1 at sea between Iceland and Britain, officials say.
The 160th SOAR currently operates a fleet of what are formally known as Mission Enhanced Little Birds (MELB), produced by Boeing. The MELBs are heavily modified with specialized avionics built to help with flying at very low-levels in complex environments and at night, as well as defensive systems and other capabilities that increase the egg-shaped helicopter’s survivability.
The MELBs can be readily configured and reconfigured as either MH-6 or AH-6 subvariants. The MH-6 is described as an “assault” configuration with planks on either side for special operators to ride on. The helicopters can land to insert those operators, or they can use the Fast Rope Insertion Extraction System (FRIES) to rappel down to their objective.
A stock picture of an MH-6 Little Bird. Jamie Hunter
The AH-6 is a light attack configuration that swaps the personnel planks for mounting systems enabling the helicopter to carry an array of weapons, including Gatling-type machine guns, Hellfire missiles, and 70mm rockets.
One of the 160th SOAR’s AH-6 Little Birds armed with a mixture of rockets and guns. USMC/SSgt. Artur Shvartsberg
Where the Little Birds that took part in the Marinera boarding operation launched from is still unknown. As noted, 160th SOAR’s AH/MH-6s cannot refuel in flight and have relatively limited unrefueled range (officially stated to be 250 miles, per the 2025 edition of U.S. Special Operations Command’s Fact Book). Night Stalker Little Birds can be fitted with various types of range-extending auxiliary fuel tanks. Even so, whether they would have been able to fly to the tanker from a base on land in the region is unclear, but it seems unlikely, especially with special operators strapped to their outsides.
As already mentioned, the helicopters more likely flew from the decks of one of the vessels that supported the mission, which included a U.S. Coast Guard Legend class cutter and the British Tide class replenishment tanker RFA Tideforce. It is possible the Little Birds could have already been embarked on the Coast Guard cutter for a prolonged period before the actual operation today, and the 160th has trained for such operations in the past.
You don’t need Ocean Trader for this, they can go anywhere. You also stuff half a dozen in the Cutter’s hangar bay.
Regardless, the tanker seizure operation puts a spotlight on the unique operational independence and flexibility that the 160th’s Little Birds offer.
“It is your street fighter,” Paul Kylander, the product manager for the AH/MH-6s within U.S. Special Operations Command’s (SOCOM) Program Executive Office-Rotary Wing (PEO-RW), told TWZ and others at the annual SOF Week conference last year. “When the operators want to get to your front door, this is the aircraft that they’re going to use. Very surgical strike, very precision attack, is what you’re going to get from these platforms.”
Though they have limited reach on their own, the small size of the Little Birds means significant numbers of them can be carried inside fixed-wing transport aircraft. Air Force Special Operations MC-130 tanker-transports can carry two in a near ready-to-fly configuration at once, while larger C-17s can transport at least five at a time. The helicopters have folding rotors and other features specifically designed to allow personnel on the ground to roll them off of larger aircraft and then get them operational very quickly. This is measured in minutes, not hours.
A picture of an AH-6 being unloaded from an MC-130 special operations tanker-transport aircraft. DODThis picture gives a sense of how many Little Birds can fit inside a C-17. The particular helicopters here are MD 530F variants bound for the now-defunct Afghan Air Force. The MD 530F is similar in many broad respects, including size, but is also very different from the Night Stalker’s AH/MH-6s. MD Helicopters
Transport aircraft can carry the AH/MH-6 helicopters across distances of thousands of miles, directly to forward operating locations far closer to their intended objectives. Those destinations could include far-flung sites with little, if any established infrastructure, including rough landing strips. With far less requirements for fuel and other support compared to the MH-60 Black Hawks and MH-47 Chinooks in the 160th’s inventory, the Little Birds also offer a different degree of ability to operate independently for prolonged periods after arriving in a forward area. AH/MH-6s do, of course, also regularly operate directly together with other Night Stalkers helicopters in highly integrated, seamless formations, as well as with other U.S. military aircraft, to a lesser degree.
The benefits that the Little Birds offer apply to operations from ships, as well as bases on land. AH-6/MH-6s require much less deck space than most other helicopters in service across the U.S. military, and more of them can also be tucked into hangars or in the holds on vessels that were designed to accommodate larger types or even no aircraft at all. They can also just be stowed in an area on the deck of a ship. They just need enough room to takeoff from. This unlocks a near endless list of vessel types they can operate from, which drastically expands their operational flexibility and can spell real trouble for an adversary.
Some of the diminutive helicopters famously operated from U.S. Navy warships, as well as barges turned into floating bases, during the so-called “Tanker War” sideshow to the Iran-Iraq war during the 1980s. In that instance, then-new “AH-58” Kiowa Warrior armed scout helicopters operated by conventional U.S. Army units eventually took the place of the Little Birds. Last year, TWZ explored the particular value of the 160th’s AH/MH-6s in maritime operations in more detail after one of the helicopters emerged wearing a blue camouflage wrap.
One of the 160th SOAR’s MH-6s seen wearing a blue camouflage wrap. USASOAC
In addition, all of this allows for the employment of Little Birds, in general, with a very different level of discretion, as they can more readily be concealed even after being deployed. There have been claims that the 160th’s repertoire of tactics, techniques, and procedures has included being prepared to bring the helicopters to forward locations clandestinely inside civilian trucks, which we will come back to in a moment.
There is a long history of the use of members of the extended Little Bird family by U.S. special operations forces and intelligence agencies to support covert and clandestine missions, as TWZ has explored on several occasions in the past. With non-military style paint schemes, the helicopters can even blend in to a degree in the open. Versions of the Little Bird continue to see widespread civilian and commercial use globally, with the helicopter type being made famous after starring in Magnum, P.I. in the 1980s.
A secretive Little Bird with a civilian-style paint scheme, linked to the U.S. special operations and intelligence communities, seen at Frankfurt Airport in what was then West Germany in 1987. Manfred Faber
In his 2015 book Relentless Strike, author Sean Naylor offers a Little Bird anecdote that is especially relevant in relation to planning for a covert operation into Laos to rescue Americans captured during the Vietnam War, which was ultimately aborted. He writes:
“JSOC [Joint Special Operations Command] rehearsed extensively in Hawaii for the mission, which would involve a task force launching from the tiny Pacific island of Tinian in the Northern Marianas and using an abandoned and overgrown U.S. military airfield in Thailand as a forward staging base. With the airfield under control, C-5 transport planes would have landed, bearing JSOC’s own version of a Trojan horse: white, civilian-style eighteen-wheel trucks, each hiding two TF 160 [Task Force 160; another term used to refer to the 160th SOAR] AH-6 Little Birds with folded rotor blades. As Delta operators made their way overland to the prison camp TF 160 personnel would have driven the trucks close to the Laotian border, before stopping and launching the helicopters. TF 160 kept this rarely used technique known in JSOC as ‘Smokey and the Bandit’ after the 1977 trucker comedy starring Burt Reynolds up its sleeve for decades, because it offered a clandestine way to move a lethal capability close to a target. ‘Our guys were trained and even had the truck licenses,’ said a TF 160 veteran. The unit had its own trucks, but locally obtained vehicles would suffice ‘with maybe a couple of days’ work and some welding,’ he said. When the time came to launch the aircraft, the crew would roll them off the back of the truck and have them flying within three minutes. ‘You have to be really well trained,’ the TF 160 veteran said. ‘It’s absolutely an incredible capability.’
Go160thSOAR USASOAC Night Stalkers AH-6
While TWZ cannot confirm the details in Naylor’s book, specifics about the planned prisoner of war rescue operation, nicknamed Operation Pocket Change, including the expected use of Little Birds, have been reported elsewhere over the years. The prospect that Americans remained in captivity in Southeast Asia for years or decades following the end of the Vietnam War has been and continues to be a controversial topic.
Regardless, Little Birds can be trucked clandestinely in commercial vehicles or shipping containers, even behind enemy lines, something other helicopters within the 160th SOAR’s stable can’t come close to doing.
All this speaks to why the 160th SOAR has continued to operate Little Birds long after non-special operations units with the U.S. military stopped flying other versions of the helicopter. Night Stalker AH/MH-6s now look set to remain in service even longer than might have been expected following the cancellation of the Army’s Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) program in 2024. There had been plans to replace roughly half of the Little Birds with a special operations variant of the FARA aircraft.
Another stock picture of an MH-6 Little Bird belonging to the Night Stalkers. Jamie Hunter
It’s also worth noting here that Boeing announced its intention to shutter its Little Bird production line and “transition to a focus on sustainment and support for the platform’s customer base.” Separate production of versions of the Little Bird will continue through MD Helicopters.
Overall, much is still to be learned about the U.S. operation today to seize the tanker Marinera, and the role played by the 160th SOAR. However, what has already emerged has highlighted the ability of the Little Birds to do things, go places, and hide in areas that no other Night Stalkers helicopters can.
WASHINGTON — President Trump’s administration on Wednesday sought to assert its control over Venezuelan oil, seizing a pair of sanctioned tankers transporting petroleum and announcing plans to relax some sanctions so the U.S. can oversee the sale of Venezuela’s petroleum worldwide.
Trump’s administration intends to control the distribution of Venezuela’s oil products globally following its ouster of President Nicolás Maduro in a surprise nighttime raid. Besides the United States enforcing an existing oil embargo, the Energy Department says the “only oil transported in and out of Venezuela” will be through approved channels consistent with U.S. law and national security interests.
That level of control over the world’s largest proven reserves of crude oil could give the Trump administration a broader hold on oil supplies globally in ways that could enable it to influence prices. Both moves reflect the Republican administration’s determination to make good on its effort to control the next steps in Venezuela through its vast oil resources after Trump has pledged the U.S. will “run” the country.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested that the oil taken from the sanctioned vessels seized in the North Atlantic and the Caribbean Sea would be sold as part of the deal announced by Trump on Tuesday under which Venezuela would provide up to 50 million barrels of oil to the U.S.
“One of those ships that was seized that had oil in the Caribbean, you know what the interim authorities are asking for in Venezuela?” Rubio told reporters after briefing lawmakers Wednesday about the Maduro operation. “They want that oil that was seized to be part of this deal. They understand that the only way they can move oil and generate revenue and not have economic collapse is if they cooperate and work with the United States.”
Seizing 2 more vessels
U.S. European Command said on social media that the merchant vessel Bella 1 was seized in the North Atlantic for “violations of U.S. sanctions.” The U.S. had been pursuing the tanker since last month after it tried to evade a blockade on sanctioned oil vessels around Venezuela.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem revealed U.S. forces also took control of the M Sophia in the Caribbean Sea. Noem said on social media that both ships were “either last docked in Venezuela or en route to it.”
The two ships join at least two others that were taken by U.S. forces last month — the Skipper and the Centuries.
The Bella 1 had been cruising across the Atlantic nearing the Caribbean on Dec. 15 when it abruptly turned and headed north, toward Europe. The change in direction came days after the first U.S. tanker seizure of a ship on Dec. 10 after it had left Venezuela carrying oil.
When the U.S. Coast Guard tried to board the Bella 1, it fled. U.S. European Command said a Coast Guard vessel had tracked the ship “pursuant to a warrant issued by a U.S. federal court.”
As the U.S. pursued it, the Bella 1 was renamed Marinera and flagged to Russia, shipping databases show. A U.S. official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military operations, said the ship’s crew had painted a Russian flag on the side of the hull.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said it had information about Russian nationals among the Marinera’s crew and, in a statement carried by Russia’s state news agencies Tass and RIA Novosti, demanded that “the American side ensure humane and dignified treatment of them, strictly respect their rights and interests, and not hinder their speedy return to their homeland.”
Separately, a senior Russian lawmaker, Andrei Klishas, decried the U.S. action as “blatant piracy.”
The Justice Department is investigating crew members of the Bella 1 vessel for failing to obey Coast Guard orders and “criminal charges will be pursued against all culpable actors,” Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi said.
“The Department of Justice is monitoring several other vessels for similar enforcement action — anyone on any vessel who fails to obey instructions of the Coast Guard or other federal officials will be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Bondi said on X.
The ship had been sanctioned by the U.S. in 2024 on allegations of smuggling cargo for a company linked to Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran.
Easing sanctions so U.S. can sell oil
The Trump administration, meanwhile, is “selectively” removing sanctions to enable the shipping and sale of Venezuelan oil to markets worldwide, according to an outline of the policies published Wednesday by the Energy Department.
The sales are slated to begin immediately with 30 million to 50 million barrels of oil. The U.S. government said the sales “will continue indefinitely,” with the proceeds settling in U.S.-controlled accounts at “globally recognized banks.” The money would be disbursed to the U.S. and Venezuelan populations at the “discretion” of Trump’s government.
Venezuelan state-owned oil company PDVSA said it is in negotiations with the U.S. government for the sale of crude oil.
“This process is developed under schemes similar to those in force with international companies, such as Chevron, and is based on a strictly commercial transaction, with criteria of legality, transparency and benefit for both parties,” the company said in the statement.
The U.S. plans to authorize the importation of oil field equipment, parts and services to increase Venezuela’s oil production, which has been roughly 1 million barrels a day.
The Trump administration has indicated it also will invest in Venezuela’s electricity grid to increase production and the quality of life for people in Venezuela, whose economy has been unraveling amid changes to foreign aid and cuts to state subsidies, making necessities, including food, unaffordable to millions.
Ships said to be part of a shadow fleet
Noem said both seized ships were part of a shadow fleet of rusting oil tankers that smuggle oil for countries facing sanctions, such as Venezuela, Russia and Iran.
After the seizure of the now-named Marinera, which open-source maritime tracking sites showed was between Scotland and Iceland earlier Wednesday, the U.K. defense ministry said Britain’s military provided support, including surveillance aircraft.
“This ship, with a nefarious history, is part of a Russian-Iranian axis of sanctions evasion which is fueling terrorism, conflict, and misery from the Middle East to Ukraine,” U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey said.
The capture of the M Sophia, on the U.S. sanctions list for moving illicit cargos of oil from Russia, in the Caribbean was much less prolonged.
The ship had been “running dark,” not having transmitted location data since July. Tankers involved in smuggling often turn off their transponders or broadcast inaccurate data to hide their locations.
Samir Madani, co-founder of TankerTrackers.com, said his organization used satellite imagery and surface-level photos to document that at least 16 tankers had left the Venezuelan coast since Saturday, after the U.S. captured Maduro.
The M Sophia was among them, Madani said, citing a recent photo showing it in the waters near Jose Terminal, Venezuela’s main oil export hub.
Windward, a maritime intelligence firm that tracks such vessels, said in a briefing to reporters the M Sophia loaded at the terminal on Dec. 26 and was carrying about 1.8 million barrels of crude oil — a cargo that would be worth about $108 million at current price of about $60 a barrel.
The press office for Venezuela’s government did not immediately respond to an Associated Press request for comment on the seizures.
Toropin, Boak, Lawless and Biesecker write for the Associated Press. Lawless reported from London.
The United States military is attempting to seize a Russian-flagged oil tanker with links to Venezuela after a weeks-long pursuit, US and Russian media outlets report.
Two unnamed US officials told the Reuters news agency on Wednesday the operation is being carried out by the Coast Guard and US military.
Russian state broadcaster RT reported it appears US forces are trying to board Venezuela-linked oil tanker Marinera from a helicopter, and published an image of a helicopter hovering near the ship.
RT cited an unnamed source as saying a US coast guard vessel has been following the tanker and an attempt to seize it during a storm had already been carried out.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has been cited by state media as saying the ship, which is now flying the Russian flag, is in international waters and acting according to international maritime law.
It called on Western countries to respect the vessel’s right to freedom of navigation.
Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy.
Open-source tracking data and spotters on the ground are showing a sudden surge of U.S. aircraft to Europe. The deployments include C-17 Globemaster III cargo jets, possibly packed with helicopters, emanating from the home of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR), AC-130J Ghostrider gunships, and a shadowy special operations turboprop aircraft. While U.S. aircraft routinely transit to and through that continent, the number of flights and their origin have raised speculation of potential future special operations missions in the region, and that speculation could be well founded.
The deployments of these aircraft increasingly seem like they are in support of a future operation to board the Russian-flagged Crude Oil Tanker Marinera, which until recently has been known as the Bella-1, and has been pursued by the Coast Guard since last month. CBS News on Monday afternoon reported that the U.S. will likely try to intercept the vessel, now in the North Atlantic. We’ll discuss that more later, including why the 160th SOAR may be needed for such an operation, in this story.
Here is what we have seen over the past 36 hours. Online flight tracking data shows that there were at least 10 Globemaster flights that left the U.S. for Europe on Jan. 3. At least four of these flights were from Fort Campbell in Kentucky, fueling unconfirmed speculation of an influx of U.S. special operations aviation assets. Fort Campbell is home to the 160th SOAR, also known as the Night Stalkers, the elite aviation unit that played a key role in locating and capturing Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro and his wife. You can read more about that in our story about Operation Absolute Resolve here.
There are claims that several of the Night Stalkers’ highly modified MH-47 Chinooks and MH-60M Black Hawks, presumably dropped off by the C-17s, were seen at RAF Fairford; however, no visual evidence has emerged to confirm that.
“As I think we have offered many times previously, we do not comment on the operational activity of other nations, including use of UK bases,” a U.K. Defense Ministry (MoD) official told us. “Likewise, neither the MOD or RAF would offer comment on speculation on what [U.S. bases in England] assets are or indeed are not doing.”
The 160th did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Beyond the possibility of the helicopters being delivered, at least two AC-130J Ghostrider gunships landed Sunday at RAF Mildenhall, where they still remain, according to Andrew McKelvey, a local spotter who was kind enough to share his photos of the aircraft with us. U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command, which operates those aircraft, declined to comment.
One of the U.S. Air Force’s shadowy CASA CN-235 intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance planes was also deployed to RAF Fairford.
U.S. European Command, which oversees American military operations in that region, declined to offer any specifics about the nature of these flights.
“U.S. European Command routinely hosts transient U.S. military aircraft (and personnel) in accordance with access, basing, and overflight agreements with Allies and partners,” the command told us in an early Monday morning email. “Taking into account operational security for U.S. assets and personnel, further details are not releasable at this time.”
While the nature of these flights remains unclear, there was a similar surge from Fort Campbell in the days leading up to Operation Absolute Resolve.
The 160th SOAR works across the globe on a daily basis, deploying for operational tasking to execute a huge array of mission sets. These include training and large-force exercises and combat operations. Night Stalker crews get experience all over the world in many environments. Movements of this kind are not that unusual, but after the Venezuelan mission, they certainly are drawing more attention.
A stock picture of an MH-47 Chinook belonging to the US Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment operating from an amphibious assault ship. USN/Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Christopher Jones
The Marinera is another connection to Venezuela. The vessel is laden with Venezuelan oil and part of a so-called shadow fleet transporting oil for Russia, Iran and Venezuela in violation of sanctions imposed by the United States and other countries. The Trump administration said this weekend they would continue to interdict these vessels. The Coast Guard attempted to board the ship on Dec. 20, but the crew refused to allow it. As we saw last month, personnel fast-roping from helicopters played a key role in the seizure of the M/V Skipper, another sanctioned oil tanker. Night Stalker assets could very well assist in any attempt to capture the Marinera, which could be considered a more dangerous operation due to the intelligence gathered and interactions with its crew.
You can see video of the boarding of the Skipper below.
Today, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States Coast Guard, with support from the Department of War, executed a seizure warrant for a crude oil tanker used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran. For multiple… pic.twitter.com/dNr0oAGl5x
Highlighting the potential danger of this kind of operation, CBS News reported that “Venezuelan officials had discussed placing armed military personnel on tankers — disguising them as civilians for defense purposes — as well as portable Soviet-era air defense systems.” The discussions took place before the capture of Maduro and his wife, the network added.
Night Stalkers are far better prepared for taking down a defended ship like this, including with their defensive systems and the ability to provide their own air support. The AC-130J is also capable of making pinpoint gun strikes on vessels for exactly this kind of operation as we have showcased in our previous reporting.
27th Special Operations Wing conducts sinking exercise during RIMPAC 2024
Bolstering the theory that a special operations boarding mission may be imminent, U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft have been observed by online trackers following the Marinera.
A U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol jet taking off from RAF Mildenhall on Jan. 4. (Andrew McKelvey)
Other nations are following the oil tanker. Irish Air Corps C-295W maritime search aircraft have also been observed by flight trackers operating near the location of the Marinera.
There are other potential reasons for the special operations aviation assets to be deployed to Europe. One possibility is a NATO exercise called Steadfast Dart 2026 that kicked off on Jan. 2.
The exercise “is a Joint Deployment Exercise to test and train the operational deployment and reinforcement of the [Allied Reaction Force] ARF 25 Elements to NATO Vigilance Area Center under peacetime conditions,” according to NATO. However, given that this was a long-planned exercise, the snap nature of the deployments from Fort Campbell and elsewhere makes it unlikely there is a connection.
Meanwhile, SOAR is also conducting a recruiting drive in Germany that begins Jan. 6, the regiment stated on X. It is unclear how many, if any, SOAR aircraft have been forward deployed for the recruitment effort. SOAR did not immediately respond to our request for comment.
KATTERBACH / ANSBACH,GERMANY. The 160th SOAR recruitment team will hold career opportunity briefs on 06 JANUARY 2026 at Katterbach/Ansbach. Looking to Go Beyond the Conventional in your military aviation career you’ll want to attend. Learn More & Apply at https://t.co/lM8G5cgcF9. pic.twitter.com/aTixBcpAm8
Beyond these possibilities, there has been speculation that some U.S. assets might be heading to the Middle East ahead of a potential future conflict with Iran. We saw similar movements in the run-up to Operation Midnight Hammer, the June attack on Iran that saw U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bombers drop 14 30,000-pound GBU-57/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bunker buster bombs on Iran’s Fordow and Natanz nuclear facilities.
It is also possible that the cargo flights to the Middle East are routine. There is a lot of air traffic back and forth from that region.
For example, five US Air Force C-17s landed in the region Wednesday, i didn’t even post about it because it is very normal, i dont do fearmongering pic.twitter.com/ZgfjXlJ0LS
Still, given that other major U.S. operations have followed these kinds of aircraft deployments, and the situation with the now Russian-flagged Marinera tanker and reports of it being a harder target than what has been seen in other recent boarding operations, the 160th SOAR may be back at it on a world stage very soon.
US troops descend from helicopters onto the “Skipper” tanker’s deck as part of an operation to seize the oil vessel. (Screen capture)
Mexico City, Mexico, December 11, 2025 (venezuelanalysis.com) – Venezuela accused the United States of committing “international piracy” after US authorities seized an oil tanker in the Caribbean, denouncing the action as part of a long-running US campaign to strip the country of its energy resources.
US President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that Washington seized an oil tanker sanctioned by the US off Venezuela’s coast. He described the vessel as the largest oil tanker ever seized and indicated that the United States would retain the crude aboard.
The move was met with a sharp rebuke from Caracas.
“The Bolivarian Government will appeal to all existing international bodies to denounce this grave international crime and will defend its sovereignty with absolute determination,” read the communiqué. “Venezuela will not allow any foreign power to take from the Venezuelan people what belongs to them by historical and constitutional right.”
According to Reuters, the “Skipper” tanker loaded an estimated 1.8 million barrels of crude at Venezuela’s José terminal early this month before unloading 200,000 to a Cuba-bound ship. The remaining cargo was believed to be destined for Asian markets. The move was viewed as aggression against Cuba as well, which relies on Venezuelan oil shipments for energy and income.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parilla condemned “the vile act of piracy” as a violation of international law.
Michael Galant, member of the Progressive International Secretariat, said that calling the US seizure an act of piracy fell short.
“This is the deliberate immiseration of the Cuban people, already suffering debilitating fuel shortages, blackouts, and a chikungunya outbreak thanks to the US blockade,” wrote Galant on social media.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi posted a video on social media on Wednesday evening showing armed US forces boarding the vessel. There was reportedly no resistance from the crew nor any casualties. The assault involved Coast Guard members, Marines, and special forces who were seen in the video descending from helicopters onto the ship’s deck.
The seizure of the tanker comes only days after Delaware District Judge Leonard P. Stark approved the sale of Venezuela’s US-based refiner CITGO to Amber Energy, a process that Venezuela called a “barbaric theft” of a Venezuelan asset via a “fraudulent process.”
In past years, the United States has intercepted shipments of Iranian fuel bound for Venezuela, ultimately taking control of the gasoline and selling it at auction. While US-led sanctions have created significant challenges for the sale of Venezuelan oil on international markets, Wednesday’s seizure marks the first time the US has directly impeded a crude shipment of from Venezuela. Reuters reported that buyers in Asia were demanding further discounts on Venezuelan crude as a result of the seizure.
Trump’s latest move is a significant escalation in the latest US effort to oust the Nicolás Maduro government from power. Since September, the US has built up its forces in the region, including the mobilization of the Gerard Ford Carrier Fleet, and has carried out deadly strikes on boats that the administration claims are tied to drug trafficking.
Washington’s decision to seize the tanker drew scrutiny from US lawmakers who have questioned the true intentions behind military mobilization and campaign in the Caribbean.
“If Trump’s aggression in the Caribbean is about drugs, why did he just seize an oil tanker?” asked US Representative Nydia Velázquez. “This is yet another dangerous escalation that brings us closer to a regime change war.”
Senator Mark Warner, who serves as the top Democrat on the Senate intelligence committee, questioned how the US was able to seize an oil tanker but has opted to strike alleged drug smuggling boats from the skies without an effort to arrest the occupants or seize the purported contraband.
Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen spoke Wednesday on the floor of Congress to call on lawmakers to stop Trump’s ”regime change war” against Venezuela.
Caracas maintains that the US attacks are motivated by a desire for regime change in order to secure access to Venezuela’s natural resources.
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, speaking from Oslo where she traveled to receive her Nobel Peace Prize, publicly endorsed the seizure of the tanker as a “very necessary step.”
Juan González, Joe Biden’s former chief Latin America adviser and the architect behind the former president’s Venezuela policy, said that a US Naval blockade was “potentially a viable option” despite admitting that it would constitute an act of war against Venezuela.
The White House has repeatedly threatened further escalation, including land strikes. The New York Times reported that US officials expected additional seizures in the coming weeks. This action would constitute an act of force and place additional pressure against Venezuela’s oil industry.
The United Nations (UN) Charter expressly prohibits all Member States from using or threatening force against the territorial integrity or political independence of another state. Blockades imposed without a declaration of war or that are not sanctioned by the UN Security Council are not considered legal. Likewise, UN independent experts have consistently maintained that the extraterritorial application of unilateral sanctions is contrary to international law.
Dec. 21 (UPI) — The U.S. Coast Guard is chasing down a third foreign oil tanker in the Caribbean, which refused to be boarded amid President Donald Trump‘s pressure campaign against Venezuela, reports said Sunday.
“The U.S. Coast Guard is in active pursuit of a sanctioned dark fleet vessel that is part of Venezuela’s illegal sanctions evasion,” an unnamed official told NBC News. “It is flying a false flag and under a judicial seizure order.”
The tanker Bella 1 was placed under U.S. sanctions in June 2024 under counterterrorism authorities, according to the Treasury Department, which said the vessel was part of a shipping network linked to Sa’id al-Jamal, a U.S.-designated Houthi financial facilitator.
Vessels in that network have been used to transport sanctioned oil, including Iranian crude, and the proceeds are directed to militant groups, U.S. officials have said in describing the basis for the sanctions.
Separately, U.S. officials said federal authorities obtained a seizure warrant from a magistrate judge authorizing them to take possession of the Bella 1, The New York Times reported. Officials cited Bella 1’s alleged prior involvement in the Iranian oil trade rather than any alleged links to Venezuela.
The ship was allegedly not flying a valid national flag when U.S. forces approached it, which would allow for it to be boarded at sea under international law. But the ship refused to be boarded and continued sailing, one official told The New York Times as another called it “an active pursuit.”
If seized, the Bella 1 would become the third tanker apprehended by U.S. authorities. On Saturday, the U.S. Coast Guard seized another tanker in international waters near Venezuela after Trump declared a blockade of Venezuela.
That tanker was flying a Panamanian flag and was carrying Venezuelan oil that it expected to sell in Asia, officials alleged.
Last Wednesday, a sanctioned oil tanker called The Skipper was also seized after it left a Venezuelan port. The ship was diverted to Texas and was allegedly flying the flag of Venezuela’s neighbor, Guyana, which said the ship is not among those registered there.
President Donald Trump holds a signed executive order reclassifying marijuana from a schedule I to a schedule III controlled substance in the Oval Office of the White House on Thursday. Photo by Aaron Schwartz/UPI | License Photo
