US seizes two 'ghost fleet' tankers linked to Venezuelan oil

The seizure of the two tankers was announced by the US military in separate posts on social media on Wednesday.

The US European Command said the M/V Bella 1 - using the former name of the Marinera - was boarded "for violations of US sanctions".

"The vessel was seized in the North Atlantic pursuant to a warrant issued by a US federal court after being tracked by USCGC Munro", a Coast Guard cutter.

Britain's Ministry of Defence said RAF surveillance aircraft and a naval support vessel, the RFA Tideforce, were among the UK military assets that took part in the operation, following a US request for assistance.

Defence Secretary John Healey said the action was "in full compliance with international law", and "formed part of global efforts to crack down on sanctions- busting".

The vessel has been accused of breaking US sanctions and shipping Iranian oil.

Images published by Russian state broadcaster RT show a helicopter close to a ship that appears to be the M/V Bella 1.

The Russian Maritime Register of Shipping shows that the tanker had changed its name to Marinera, and was sailing under the Russian flag. Its home port stated as the southern Russian city of Sochi on the Black Sea.

The Russian transport ministry said US forces boarded the Marinera at about 15:00 Moscow time (1200 GMT), after which communications with the vessel were lost.

US officials said that Marinera was falsely flying the flag of Guyana last month, which made it stateless.

Experts told BBC Verify that the US called the ship Bella 1 as a vessel cannot change its flag during a voyage unless there was a real transfer of ownership or change of registry.

The experts also said that under UN international maritime law, a stateless vessel can be boarded by authorities.

Separately, the US Southern Command announced on Wednesday that the defence and homeland security departments "apprehended a stateless, sanctioned dark fleet motor tanker without incident".

"The interdicted vessel, M/T Sophia, was operating in international waters and conducting illicit activities in the Caribbean Sea. The US Coast Guard is escorting M/T Sophia to the U.S. for final disposition."

The US Southern Command also posted a video showing a helicopter circling over a vessel.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that "in two predawn operations today, the Coast Guard conducted back-to-back meticulously co-ordinated boarding of two 'ghost fleet' tanker ships".

She said both seized vessels "were either last docked in Venezuela or en route to it".