The U.S. Navy Is Playing Cat-and-Mouse in the Ocean with Sanctioned Venezuelan Oil Tankers
A bizarre cat-and-mouse game in the Atlantic has led to questions about sanctioned oil tankers.
Published Jan. 8 2026, 4:24 p.m. ET
In January 2026, tensions on the world stage reached new heights after the United States government took extreme measures against the Venezuelan president, leading to a shocking international escalation.
Since then, headlines have bandied around words such as "sanctioned oil tankers" as the United States and Russia appear to jockey over assets.
But what exactly is a "sanctioned oil tanker" and why is Russia involved? It's a complicated and delicate international situation, but here's what we know about the meaning behind the phrase and why Russia is involved in a military action across the world.
What does a "sanctioned oil tanker" mean?
In December 2025, U.S. military assets moved to seize several Venezuelan ships, setting up a tense exchange that would leave breadcrumb hints about what was to come.
For months leading up to the escalation, the United States has been striking boats traveling to and from Venezuela in international waters, accusing them of smuggling drugs into the U.S.
According to the New York Times, the U.S. seized a sanctioned oil tanker leaving Venezuela on Dec. 10, 2025. A sanctioned tanker is one that has been given legal restrictions by a government or international body like the U.N. This usually happens as a result of suspected illegal activities or violation of laws.
Things escalated on Dec. 20, 2025, when the U.S. attempted to seize another sanctioned tanker, called the Bella 1.
However, the Bella 1 refused boarding by the United States military and fled into the Atlantic, broadcasting a distress signal. En route away from Venezuela, those on the ship painted a Russian flag on the tanker, which was supposedly empty at the time.
For two weeks, the United States pursued the Bella 1 across the Atlantic.
Russia wants one tanker in particular, and the U.S. is trying to prevent them from getting it.
As the ship fled the United States' attempts to capture it, Russia pushed back, stating, “No state has the right to use force against vessels duly registered in the jurisdictions of other states" (excerpt via The Hill).
Things got even weirder when the crew aboard the Bella 1 renamed the ship to the Marinara, registering it as a Russian vessel.
On Jan. 7, pursuers from the United States caught up to the newly minted Marinara, boarding and seizing it, ending the bizarre two-week chase.
The United States military took to X (formerly Twitter) to announce that they had “seized” the vessel for violating U.S. sanctions, although Russia disagreed with their right to do so (via the New York Times).
It's unclear why the empty tanker was of such interest to Russia.
While the story of the Marinara appears to be over, it raises many questions. Specifically, about the lawfulness of the United States seizing ships that belong to other countries, and the future trajectory of Russian-U.S. relations.
As the United States seized Venezuelan President Maduro in January and made overtures to control the flow of oil in and out of the country, the rest of the world wondered where U.S. law ends, and international law begins.