The US military has seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker in international waters off the coast of Iceland, having deployed a small armada of aircraft and ships to intercept the vessel.

US European Command (EUCOM) on 7 January issued a statement saying Washington was seizing the M/V Bella 1 for sanctions violations.

“The vessel was seized in the North Atlantic pursuant to a warrant issued by a US federal court after being tracked by USCGC Munro,” EUCOM said in a post on X.

“This seizure supports [the presidential] proclamation targeting sanctioned vessels that threaten the security and stability of the Western Hemisphere,” it adds.

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Photos distributed by Russian state-affiliated news outlet RT claim to show a US Army HM-6 Little Bird near the deck of the Russian-flagged oil tanker M/V Bella 1

Source: RT News

Photos distributed by Russian state-affiliated news outlet RT claim to show a US Army HM-6 Little Bird near the deck of the Russian-flagged oil tanker M/V Bella 1

Source: RT News

The M/V Bella 1 was sanctioned by Washington in 2024 for allegedly transporting restricted Iranian petroleum. The US Coast Guard (USCG) had attempted to seize the ship off the coast of South America in late December, ahead of the subsequent raid that captured former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro.

The Bella 1 refused boarding and turned toward the North Atlantic, with the crew reflagging the vessel as Russian-operated en route, according to reporting from The New York Times. The ship was renamed the Marinera after adopting a Russian flag.

The Pentagon has shadowed the Bella 1 across the Atlantic with a USCG cutter, while Moscow had reportedly deployed a submarine to escort the tanker ship, which is now in the waters between the UK and Iceland.

Open source flight tracking shows a significant US military presence in the area around the ship, including Boeing P-8A maritime patrol jets, Pilatus U-28A special operations reconnaissance turboprops, and Boeing KC-135 refuellers. Those aircraft launched from bases in the UK.

State-affiliated Russian media site RT also shared photos allegedly from the deck of the Bella 1 that show a Boeing MH-6 Little Bird special operations helicopter making a low pass over the ship, with commandos visible on the outboard bench seats.

The MH-6 and AH-6 attack variant are operated by the US Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, which provides rotary-wing support to the Pentagon’s elite special operations forces.

The regiment played a central role in the recent operation to detain Maduro, flying an assault force through challenging weather conditions at night into downtown Caracas.

That operation featured two of the 160th’s signature aircraft: the Boeing MH-47G and Sikorsky MH-60M.

The authenticity of the MH-6 photos distributed by RT could not be independently verified.

The MH-6 is a small, short-range helicopter used to deliver commandos onto rooftops and other tight urban spaces. While Little Bird crews do train to deploy troops onto vessels at sea, they would need to launch from relatively nearby.

Unlike the 160th’s larger helicopters, the M/AH-6 does not have an aerial refuelling capability.

One possible explanation is that one or more of the helicopters were embarked with the USCG cutter shadowing the Bella 1.

Another possibility is that the rotorcraft launched from the USA’s NATO ally Iceland when the vessel passed sufficiently close to a land base. The Bella 1 was within 100nm (185km) of Iceland’s southern coast at the time of the intercept, according to ship tracking data, although that would be at the limits of the MH-6’s radius of action.

As the action unfolded, the UK Ministry of Defence confirmed its involvement, including surveillance aircraft from the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy replenishment vessel RFA Tideforce. That logistics support ship does feature a helicopter flight deck, which could have been used to transport the Little Birds and their assault force from the UK mainland.

“RFA Tideforce is providing support for US forces pursuing and interdicting the Bella 1,” the MOD said on 7 January. “The UK provided enabling support to the operation in full compliance with international law.”

In a statement posted on Telegram following the tanker’s capture, the Russian transport ministry says according to the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, ”freedom of navigation applies in waters on the high seas, and no state has the right to use force against vessels duly registered in the jurisdictions of other states”.

It confirms the M/V Bella 1 received temporary permission to fly the Russian flag on 24 December.

Story updated 8 January to include details of the UK armed forces involvement in the Bella 1 seizure