US Special Forces on Wednesday carried out a high-risk takeover of a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the North Atlantic in a mission that mirrored the visuals of the iconic video game Call of Duty.
Call of Duty (CoD) is a massive, long-running first-person shooter (FPS) video game franchise by Activision known for intense combat, iconic characters, and evolving settings from World War II to futuristic wars and modern conflicts
Night‑vision footage of the mission showed helicopters approaching and touching down on the deck of the Marinera, formerly known as Bella‑1. Armed personnel were seen moving swiftly toward the bridge, while others rappel from the helicopters by harness, guns drawn, as they stealthily rushed into the vessel. Within minutes, the tanker, linked to Venezuelan oil shipments, was firmly under American control.
In two predawn operations today, the Coast Guard conducted back-to-back meticulously coordinated boarding of two “ghost fleet” tanker ships— one in the North Atlantic Sea and one in international waters near the Caribbean. Both vessels —the Motor Tanker Bella I and the Motor… pic.twitter.com/EZlHEtcufX
— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) January 7, 2026
The operation, conducted allegedly “for violations of US sanctions,” drew sharp condemnation from Russia.
US officials said the vessel is part of a “shadow fleet” used to transport oil for sanctioned countries such as Venezuela, Russia, and Iran.
US officials also confirmed that the Marinera was boarded in international waters between Iceland and the British Isles. They said the operation followed weeks of tracking, with US forces shadowing the tanker across the Atlantic.
Russian state broadcaster RT reported that a US Coast Guard vessel had been tailing the ship and that an earlier attempt to seize it during a storm had already taken place.
Russian media also published an image showing a helicopter hovering close to the tanker's deck. US sources say the aerial insertion was to ensure that no one could resist and secure the crew quickly.
The seizure comes amid heightened US enforcement of sanctions at sea and follows the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a separate US operation carried out on Saturday, adding to the geopolitical sensitivity surrounding the mission.
Moscow reacted angrily, accusing Washington of violating international law. In a statement, the Russian Transport Ministry said the seizure breached maritime norms.
“In accordance with the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, freedom of navigation applies in the high seas, and no state has the right to use force against vessels duly registered in the jurisdictions of other states,” it said.
After US forces boarded the tanker, a senior Russian lawmaker openly threatened military retaliation, including a possible nuclear response.
“We need to provide a military response: attack with torpedoes or sink a couple of American boats,” said Aleksey Zhuravlyov, the first deputy head of the Russian State Duma's defence committee.
“This is nothing more than piracy: the seizure of a civilian vessel by the armed US Navy. It is essentially the same as an attack on Russian territory, since the tanker was flying our national flag,” he added.
Earlier, US forces intercepted another Russian‑operated tanker, the M/T Sophia, in the Caribbean Sea. That vessel, which had no national flag and was operating under US sanctions, was stopped in international waters and is now being escorted to the United States by the US Coast Guard.
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