Tanker Seized by U.S. After Weeks-Long Pursuit Lives to Sail Another Day
A tanker that became infamous for its long-distance pursuit by the U.S. in late 2025 and 2026 has reemerged under mysterious circumstances. Now known as the Era, the tanker, which attempted to flee a seizure by the U.S. during the blockade of Venezuela, got back underway in early June and is now approaching Trinidad.
The circumstances and the ownership of the vessel remain murky at best. The name change was reported on June 6, along with registry in Comoros. Most databases, however, still show the ship under its prior name, Marinera.
VesselsValue reflects a sale as of April 11, 2026. However, they report this is assumed as the registered ownership has changed. They have no sale price or details of the owner, which is listed as undisclosed.
It appeared that the United States planned to conduct a forfeiture after towing the tanker from Scotland in early 2026. The U.S. Coast Guard took control of the tanker on January 7, south of Iceland, and ultimately directed it to Scotland, where it lay at anchor in Moray Firth. The United States removed the crew from the ship, and then, at the end of February, the BBC reported it had been seen under tow.
After being dark for months, the AIS transmissions resumed in late April, with BBC reporting it was transmitting a message of “conducting trials,” before switching to “for orders” at the beginning of June.
The tanker has existed in the shadow fleet for the past few years after starting its life in 2000, built by Hyundai Heavy Industries in South Korea. The 318,518-dwt tanker is 333 meters (1,092 feet) in length. Starting life as the Overseas Mulan managed by OSG, she later became the Seaways Mulan, before, in about 2020, moving to a Chinese company. She went through five names and various owners before emerging in 2023 as Bella 1.
In June 2024, the United States sanctioned the shipping company, Louis Marine Shipholding Enterprises, as the registered owner of the Panama-flagged Bella 1 for their role in carrying sanctioned cargo on behalf of Hizballah. By late 2024, the ship was falsely claiming to be sailing under the flag of Guyana.
She was spotted off Venezuela in December 2025 and attempted to proceed despite the U.S. blockade. When U.S. forces attempted to intercept the tanker, it refused to comply with orders and instead changed course. Starting on about December 15, the ship spent two weeks trying to evade the U.S. Coast Guard and taking the USCG Munro on a chase across the Atlantic.
The U.S. Department of Justice accused the ship of taking multiple steps to evade the U.S. Coast Guard, including disobeying multiple orders to stop and destroying records. During the crossing, it suddenly declared it was registered in Russia and changed its name to Marinera.
The captain of the tanker pleaded guilty last week to charges of refusing to obey orders from the U.S. Coast Guard. Sentencing for the captain is on August 7, and he is facing a maximum of five years in prison.
The Department of Justice has not responded to requests for information on the status of the tanker. It is unclear if the tanker is going to attempt to return to the ways of the shadow fleet and sanctions violations or return to the commercial trade.
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Top photo February 2026 in Scotland taken by Alan Soutar - courtesy of VesselFinder