Over the last week, US forces have successfully arrested multiple oil tankers linked to Venezuelan crude trades - from Russian-flagged Bella 1 in the North Atlantic and stateless Sophia in the Caribbean to an East Timor flagged Olina being detained by Coast Guard agents - increasing enforcement of sanctions and heightening risks for shadow fleet operators and conventional tanker owners alike.
Trump administration intensified enforcement against Venezuelan oil exports in late December 2025, when US Coast Guard officers seized two tankers and pursued another vessel associated with shadow fleet vessels linked to Venezuela. Operations also targeted sanctioned oil shipments connected to its government.
The US Coast Guard has intensified operations against Venezuelan oil tankers, seizing vessels and pursuing others near Venezuela in international waters. President Donald Trump ordered this action against vessels bypassing sanctions preventing oil exports to China or elsewhere, with officials preparing for high-risk boardings while monitoring global energy market impacts.
“From December 10 to 22 2025 US seized tanker vessels that were apart of Venezuela’s shadow fleet the Skipper, Bella 1, in a historic effort to remove the country’s financial strings to PDVSA. For going after a third ship the ire of China in violation of international laws. The Americans have done the most serious enforcement.”
Tanker shipping have recently been operating under intense security pressure and regulatory scrutiny. Bulgaria successfully managed the drift of damaged crude carrier Kairos after drone strike destruction in November; Bangladesh provided repatriation of injured crew. Russia-linked tankers were damaged off Dakar, while Iran released Talara, causing oil trades additional geopolitical risk.
Two Gambian-flagged oil tankers, Kairos and Virat, were attacked by Ukrainian naval drones in the Black Sea between November 28 and 29, 2025. Both vessels, presenting as an EU and UK sanctioned shadow fleet for transporting Russian oil, were struck by naval drones in what can be described as the second round of attacks against Russian vessels in the Black Sea by Ukraine's SBU security service.
Iran seized a Marshall Islands-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, and U.S. Navy seized several Russian-flagged ships delivering diluent to Venezuela - signs of increased maritime tensions in mid-November 2025.
Iranian forces commandeered the Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker Talara on November 14, 2025, as it was transiting the Strait of Hormuz. They diverted it into Iranian waters, marking the first Iranian interception in several months, contributing to heightened tensions there amid ongoing geopolitical discord between Iran and Western powers.