O Bella, ciao!

U.S. seizes sanctioned tanker after weeks-long Atlantic pursuit and brief standoff with Russian naval escort

On January 7, the U.S. military seized two “dark fleet” tankers: the Bella 1 (also known as the Marinera) and the Sofia. Both vessels are on the U.S. Treasury Department’s sanctions list for illicitly transporting Iranian, Venezuelan, and Russian oil.

Sailing under a Panamanian flag, the Sofia was intercepted in international Caribbean waters in what the U.S. military is calling “Operation Southern Spear.” The stated goal of the operation is to dismantle “illicit activity in the Western Hemisphere.” In practice, America’s actions constitute a naval blockade of Venezuela. The Coast Guard is currently escorting the Sofia to the United States.

The Bella 1, also flying a Panamanian flag, entered the Caribbean as early as December 20. When the U.S. Coast Guard signaled the vessel to stop for inspection, the crew refused to comply. The ship then reversed course and fled into the Atlantic Ocean, with several American vessels in pursuit.

During the chase on December 30, the Bella 1 changed its flag from Panama to Russia and was renamed the Marinera in the Russian maritime register. The following day, Russia sent an official diplomatic note to the United States demanding an end to the pursuit. Several Russian warships, including a submarine, moved to intercept the tanker’s path. The maneuver briefly delayed a U.S. boarding of the ship, but the chase continued.

The Americans finally intercepted the ship on the afternoon of January 7 in waters between Iceland and the British Isles. A U.S. boarding party descended from a helicopter onto the deck of the Bella 1/Marinera. Although Russian vessels were positioned nearby, they did not intervene in the operation.

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Since the U.S. naval blockade of Venezuela began, Russian-linked vessels have made several attempts to breach it. A Cameroon-flagged tanker carrying naphtha managed to outmaneuver the U.S. destroyer Stockdale in November after the warship tried to block its route from Cuba to Venezuela. The shipment of naphtha, used for diluting heavy crude oil, reached its destination despite the intervention. Shortly thereafter, the Russian-flagged tanker Vasily Lanovoy delivered another shipment of naphtha to Venezuela without interference.

On December 10, the U.S. military seized the tanker Skipper as it departed Venezuela carrying 1.8 million barrels of oil. The vessel is currently on the U.S. sanctions list. Although it was sailing under a Guyanese flag, the ship does not appear in that country’s maritime registry. According to U.S. authorities, the Skipper is part of a “dark fleet” managed by Viktor Artemov — a Ukrainian national residing in Switzerland — and serves Iranian interests.

Following the seizure of the Skipper, the Trump administration imposed additional sanctions on Venezuela and declared that it would no longer allow tankers to enter or leave the country. On December 20, the U.S. Coast Guard detained the Centuries, a Panamanian-flagged vessel carrying oil, despite the ship not being on any official sanctions lists. The pursuit of the Bella 1 began that same day.

After the Bella 1 was intercepted, Russian officials stated they were “closely monitoring reports” and demanded that the United States “not impede the swift return of the Russian crew members to their homeland.” In addition to Russian nationals, the crew of the Bella 1/Marinera includes citizens of Ukraine and India.