The United States is attempting to seize the Venezuela-linked oil tanker originally known as Bella-1, now flying the Russian flag as MV Marinera, in Latin American waters following a two-week Atlantic pursuit, according to a Washington Post report by Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali shared over the past 59 minutes ending at 1:15 p.m. UTC on January 7, 2026. The tanker slipped through a U.S. maritime blockade of sanctioned vessels and rebuffed prior U.S. Coast Guard boarding efforts, as stated in the Washington Post scoop. This interception comes amid U.S. enforcement of sanctions on Venezuelan crude shipments, building on President Donald J. Trump's January 7 announcement that Venezuelan interim authorities will transfer 30-50 million barrels of sanctioned oil to the U.S. Three Pilatus U-28A Draco aircraft took off heading north toward the North Atlantic region during the reporting window, according to an X post by @Nexus_osintx. Separately, the U.S. Navy leased facilities at Mercedita Airport in Ponce, Puerto Rico, on December 30, 2025, for $8,400 to $8,500 monthly until May 2026, to support military maneuvers and logistics, as confirmed by Puerto Rico Ports Authority director Norberto Negrón Díaz in a report by The New Day.
