UPDATE (1431 EST 12/31/25): Bella 1 is still on the run. CNN reports this morning that the White House believes Bella 1 no longer intends to make port in Venezuela, and might choose to give up the chase for the sanctioned vessel with ties to Iran after almost two weeks, despite being unclear about the cargo, or why the crew chose to flee. USN/USCG assets remain on standby, should the order come to seize the vessel by force.
Original Article: According to The NewYork Times, the U.S.-sanctioned oil tanker Bella 1 remains on the run in the Atlantic after refusing to comply with a U.S. Coast Guard interception attempt on Dec. 21 in the Caribbean Sea. U.S. officials told the newspaper the vessel was moving toward Venezuela to take on oil when the Coast Guard moved to stop it, but the ship continued underway and has been pursued since.
The tanker’s track has since shifted. U.S. officials briefed on the operation said Bella 1 recently altered course northwest, steering away from the Mediterranean, potentially towards waters near Greenland or Iceland. The officials don’t believe the ship to be carrying cargo. During the escape, the crew reportedly painted a Russian flag on the side of the vessel and is now claiming Russian status—an apparent attempt to complicate any boarding or seizure effort.
Given a rough heading NNE and a constant speed of 10kts, members of Faytuks Network’s all-volunteer OSINT team put Bella 1’s position potentially somewhere near the Azores, heading north for the Norwegian Sea and perhaps a final destination of Murmansk, Russia. Another posited destination is Iran, in which case she could potentially head for the Strait of Gibraltar.
Federal officials have obtained a seizure warrant tied to Bella 1’s prior involvement in transporting Iranian oil, saying the ship is associated with a broader “ghost fleet” used to move oil for sanctioned regimes. Officials indicate that additional tanker seizures tied to Venezuela’s oil trade are planned as the U.S. expands efforts to curtail illicit oil revenue streams supporting the Maduro regime in Caracas.