U.S. Plans Operation to Intercept Ship Under Russian Flag

The United States is planning to intercept the Marinera tanker in the Atlantic Ocean. The tanker is carrying Venezuelan oil and is flying the Russian flag.

CBS News reported on this, citing intelligence sources. The ship previously known as Bella 1, sailed under the Panamanian flag and was owned by a Turkish company.

According to CBS News sources, U.S. authorities are planning to board the tanker as soon as this week, though the operation could still be canceled.

The United States imposed sanctions on the ship in 2024 for the illegal transport of Russian, Iranian, and Venezuelan oil in the interests of Hezbollah and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Flag and Name Change of the Bella 1 Sanctioned Tanker

Bella 1 is effectively part of Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet.”

In December 2025, the U.S. Coast Guard started pursuing Bella 1 in the Atlantic Ocean. The U.S. planned to board the ship to seize it. Prior to this, the U.S. had already seized two tankers carrying Venezuelan oil – The Skipper and Centuries.

The pursuit of Bella 1 was halted after the ship was re-registered under a new owner and renamed. It now sails under the Russian flag and is called Marinera. The new port of registration is listed as Sochi. The New York Times reported that the Russian authorities officially approached Washington, demanding that the pursuit of the tanker be stopped.

Signs of Operation Preparation

British OSINT blogger DefenseGeek drew attention to the unusual activity of U.S. military aircraft in the region.

UPDATE: 05JAN26 1700Z – US military air movements to UK that *might* be linked to possible boarding action of M/T BELLA 1 / MARINERA.

At least 1 MH-47G has done a test flight & C-17 arrivals pace has slowed, but P-8s continue to patrol near the M/T. CV-22Bs still carrying out… pic.twitter.com/DUwLNES91l

— DefenceGeek ?? (@DefenceGeek) January 5, 2026

He recorded patrols and training flights of U.S. planes, helicopters, and tiltrotor aircraft. DefenseGeek suggests that the activity of the MH-47G, CV-22B, P-8, and C-17 is related to preparations for intercepting Marinera.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced a naval blockade of Venezuela on December 16, 2025. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the “quarantine” would continue even after the arrest of Nicolás Maduro, the self-proclaimed president of Venezuela.