Weeks of tracking ended with US forces boarding the Marinera, once named Bella 1, which had reflagged to Russia in an attempt to evade sanctions

The US Coast Guard seized two oil tankers in back-to-back predawn operations on Wednesday Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement.This video released by Noem shows thermal vision footage of US troops boarding the M/T Sophia.

Russia formally asked the United States to halt pursuit of Venezuelan oil tanker Marinera after the vessel escaped U.S. Coast Guard interception in the Caribbean.

This story has been updated to include information from the U.K. Ministry of Defense and the U.S. Navy. A U.S. Coast Guard team and additional federal law enforcement, with support from the U.S. military,

The U.S. Coast Guard is pursuing a sanctioned vessel near Venezuela, marking the third maritime incident this month as tensions grow between Washington and the Maduro government.

The United States is chasing a Venezuela-linked tanker in Caribbean waters in what could become the most aggressive test yet of Trump’s maritime sanctions.