Armada of Venezuela-Bound Vessels Turns Away After Ship Seizure

December 16, 2025, 4:51 PM UTC

An armada of four supertankers originally headed for Venezuela have reversed course following the seizure of a sanctioned tanker in Caribbean waters.

The vessels are the Panama-flagged Bella 1, which was sanctioned by the US for its involvement in the illicit transport of Iranian oil, and the tankers Seeker 8, Karina and Eurovictory, according to data from maritime intelligence firm Kpler.

Ship movements show that the Seeker 8, the Karina and the Eurovictory all turned around on Dec. 11 — a day after US forces seized a vessel off Venezuela’s coast. The Bella 1 hit reverse on Tuesday near ...

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