From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, January 7, 2026
US seizes 2 sanctioned oil tankers linked to Venezuela in the North Atlantic and Caribbean
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleThe United States has seized two sanctioned oil tankers linked to Venezuela in back-to-back actions in the North Atlantic and the Caribbean, officials say.
US European Command announces the seizure of the merchant vessel Bella 1 for “violations of US sanctions” in a social media post. The US had been pursuing the tanker since last month after it tried to evade a US blockade on sanctioned oil vessels around Venezuela.
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem reveals that US forces also took control of the tanker Sophia in the Caribbean. Noem says in a social media post that both ships were “either last docked in Venezuela or en route to it.”
Noem says both ships are part of a large “ghost fleet” of sanctioned vessels that carry oil from Russia, Iran and Venezuela in defiance of Western sanctions, mostly to customers in Asia.
The Times of Israel Community.