U.S. Seizes Three Tankers Tied to Iranian, Venezuelan Oil Networks
The operations occurred between Dec. 10, 2025, and Feb. 24, 2026, as Washington targets vessels accused of moving sanctioned crude.
The United States seized three oil tankers linked to Iranian and Venezuelan oil networks in separate operations spanning December through February, intensifying enforcement against crude shipments tied to sanctioned actors.
The Skipper was seized on the high seas Dec. 10 under a judicially authorized warrant while carrying about 1.8 million barrels of Venezuelan-origin crude. The vessel was claiming a false Guyanese flag, and the Justice Department says it had moved Iranian and Venezuelan oil while using location spoofing and ship-to-ship transfers.
The former Bella 1, later renamed Marinera, was seized Jan. 7 after a weeks-long pursuit. The Justice Department says the tanker had transported Iranian- and Venezuelan-origin oil and operated with an inactive tracking transponder.
The Bertha was boarded in the Indian Ocean Feb. 24, completing the three-operation campaign identified in U.S. government records. The Justice Department has linked the vessels to oil movements benefiting Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Venezuela’s state oil company, Petróleos de Venezuela.
The Justice Department has described the seizures as part of a broader campaign against shadow-fleet tankers accused of moving sanctioned oil through false flags, disabled tracking systems and vessel-to-vessel transfers.
