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Atlantic tanker trades in focus after US grabs Venezuelan barrels - Splash247

The arrest and detention of Venezuela’s former leader Nicolás Maduro has triggered a fresh bout of volatility across tanker markets, with president Donald Trump claiming the US will take control of up to 50m barrels of sanctioned Venezuelan crude in a move that could redraw Atlantic Basin flows...
splash247.com splash247.com
 

US forces seize fleeing tanker being escorted by Russian vessels​

U.S. forces seized two tankers on Wednesday, including one that had fled the U.S. blockade of sanctioned vessels near Venezuela and was being escorted by a Russian submarine and a Russian navy ship in the Atlantic, according to U.S. officials.

Helicopters and at least one Coast Guard vessel south of Iceland were used to take control of a tanker, formerly known as Bella 1, that had eluded the U.S. for more than two weeks, according to U.S. officials. Some of the officials said the submarine had been communicating with the tanker over the past three days.

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https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/worl...-russian-vessels/ar-AA1TKmMO?ocid=socialshare
 

Coast Guard Ramps Up Winter Mission to Protect Northeast Heating Oil Supply​

As winter settles in across the Northeast, the U.S. Coast Guard has launched Operation Reliable Energy for Northeast Winters (RENEW) 2026, its annual mission aimed at keeping heating oil flowing to more than 33 million residents during the region’s coldest months.

Now in its second decade, Operation RENEW reflects a hard reality: the Northeast accounts for roughly 85 percent of the nation’s heating oil consumption, with about 90 percent of that fuel moving through waterways maintained by the Coast Guard. When ice builds up on rivers, bays, and harbors, the region’s energy security depends on the service’s ability to keep those routes open.

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Russia Accuses U.S. of ‘Gross Violation’ of Maritime Law in High-Seas Tanker Seizure​

Russia’s Foreign Ministry has condemned the January 7 seizure of the oil tanker Marinera in international waters of the North Atlantic by U.S. forces, calling it an “illegal use of force” that threatens to escalate military tensions in the Euro-Atlantic region.

The Marinera — formerly known as Bella 1 — was taken by U.S. Coast Guard and military forces following a weeks-long pursuit that began in late December, when the vessel refused orders to stop in the Caribbean before heading into the Atlantic.

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What is the Dark Fleet? | Shipping 101 | How Russia, Venezuela and Iran are Shipping Sanctioned Oil​

Jan 9, 2026 What's Going on With Shipping - Maritime Industry Today
In this episode, Sal Mercogliano — a maritime historian at Campbell University (@campbelledu) and former merchant mariner — discusses what constitutes the Dark Fleet of ocean tankers.


9:53

- Shifty shades of grey: The different risk profiles of the dark fleet explained https://www.lloydslist.com/LL1144787/...
 


Pay attention to the language here.

This is how confusion gets sown on the interwebs.

ITS' NOT A RUSSIAN TANKER.

It's a stateless, flagless PIRATE VESSEL that ATTEMPTED to falsely and deceptively 'reflag' itself after our forces detected it, as a 'Russian tanker'.

It is not, in fact a 'Russian tanker'.

Thank you for your attention to this matter!
 

Four Tankers That Left Venezuela In ‘Dark Mode’ Are Back In Its Waters​

Jan 10 (Reuters) – At least four tankers, most of them loaded, that had departed from Venezuela in early January in ‘dark mode‘ – or with their transponders off amid a strict U.S. blockade – are now back in the South American country’s waters, according to state company PDVSA and monitoring service TankerTrackers.com.

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Russia’s Arctic LNG ‘Shadow Fleet’ Gains Steam With Rare Winter Double Ship-to-Ship Transfer​

Russia’s Arctic shadow fleet logistics chain shows momentum with a rare, simultaneous ship-to-ship (STS) loading and unloading operation at the Saam floating storage unit (FSU) near Murmansk. The transfer underscores Moscow’s ability to keep sanctioned Arctic LNG flows moving despite Western restrictions.

In the operation, the Arc7 ice-class LNG carrier Christophe de Margerie delivered a cargo of liquefied natural gas produced at Arctic LNG 2 to the Saam FSU, while at the same time a conventional LNG carrier, Arctic Pioneer, docked at the storage barge to load cargo for onward delivery. Satellite images confirm two large vessels alongside Saam FSU on January 9.

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Court Filings Reveal U.S. Plan to Seize Dozens More Tankers in Venezuela Oil Crackdown​

LONDON, Jan 13 (Reuters) – The U.S. government has filed for court warrants to seize dozens more tankers linked to the Venezuelan oil trade, four sources familiar with the matter said, as Washington consolidates control of oil shipments in and out of the South American country.

The U.S. military and Coast Guard have seized five vessels in recent weeks in international waters that were either carrying Venezuelan oil or have done so in the past. The seizures were part of Washington’s campaign to force Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro out of power that culminated in U.S. forces capturing him on January 3.

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