Overview
- U.S. Coast Guard units, supported by British forces, boarded and took control of a tanker between Iceland and the U.K. after tracking it since December 21.
- U.S. officials identify the ship as the Bella 1, describe it as part of a Venezuelan-linked ghost fleet, say it sailed under a false flag, and indicate the crew will face prosecution.
- Moscow protests the action, calls the vessel Marinera with provisional Russian authorization dated December 24, and demands the swift return of Russian crew members.
- U.S. media reported that Russian naval assets, potentially including a submarine, escorted the tanker, a claim that remains under assessment.
- A separate pre-dawn operation interdicted the tanker Sophia in international waters near the Caribbean as the U.S. expands a campaign targeting sanctioned shipments tied to Venezuela and entities flagged since 2024.