The United States has seized two tankers linked to Venezuelan oil exports in the North Atlantic and the Caribbean, as part of its efforts to block Venezuelan crude oil exports. The operations involved the Russian-flagged Marinera (also known as M/V Bella 1) and the M/T Sophia.

• The US claims the Marinera was tracked for almost two weeks and was deemed "stateless after flying a false flag."
• US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Venezuela's leadership is cooperating on the seizure of the M/T Sophia.
• The seized oil, potentially up to 50 million barrels worth some $2.8 billion (£2.1 billion), will be sold "in the marketplace at market rates."