The US Coast Guard (USCG) seized two Venezuela-linked oil tankers on 7 January 2026, with US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth stating on the X social media channel, “The blockade of sanctioned and illicit Venezuelan oil remains in FULL EFFECT — anywhere in the world.”
The seizures follow the capture and rendition back to the United States of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, both of whom face charges of narco-terrorism and drug trafficking, in a successful US raid on Caracas on 3 January.
The tanker Marinera – which had previously been called the Bella I and sailed under a Guyanese flag but was renamed and hastily adopted a Russian flag as it was being pursued across the Atlantic – was apprehended in the North Atlantic after previously evading the USCG. After being tracked by USCGC Munro, the tanker was initially boarded by US special forces, who then handed over control of the vessel to the USCG. The Russian Transport Ministry confirmed that it lost contact with the Marinera after US forces boarded the ship.
The tanker Sofia, which was described by US Southern Command as “a stateless, sanctioned dark fleet motor tanker”, was apprehended in international waters in the Caribbean. US Southern Command added that the US Coast Guard “is escorting M/T Sophia to the US for final disposition”, adding, “Through Operation Southern Spear, the Department of War is unwavering in its mission to crush illicit activity in the Western Hemisphere.”
Both tankers had previously docked in Venezuela or were en route to the country, according to a statement by US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and are described by the US government as part of a ‘ghost fleet’ of tankers transporting illicit oil.
The seizure of the tankers is part of a follow-on operation to the apprehension of Maduro that is designed to force compliance from the Venezuelan government and its new acting president, Delcy Rodriguez. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Capital Hill on 7 January that the second phase of the US strategy regarding Venezuela is one of “recovery”, to include amnesties for opposition leaders and then a “transition”, although he gave no further details as to how this transition would materialise.
The Venezuelans “understand the only way they can move oil and generate revenue, and not have economic collapse, is if they co-operate and work with the United States”, Rubio stated.
