Crew on board a US-sanctioned oil tanker changed the vessel's name and hastily gave it a new paint job as they tried to escape the coast guard.
The Marinera, previously called the Bella 1, was originally bound for Venezuela.
But the vessel abruptly changed course to avoid a US blockade in December, setting off a dramatic two-week chase at sea.
Coast Guard crew "pursued this vessel across the high seas and through treacherous storms — keeping diligent watch," United States Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said.
Overnight, the pursuit came to a head.
Flying under a Russian flag, the ship was descended upon in the North Atlantic between Iceland and Britain.
"You can run, but you can't hide," the White House posted on X.
How the chase unfolded
This is how the chase unfolded, according to ship-tracking data and accounts from US and United Kingdom officials.
Bella 1 was sanctioned by the US in 2024 and subjected to a seizure warrant, accused of illegally transporting Iranian oil.
Washington said the vessel was part of a so-called shadow fleet, or ghost fleet, carrying oil for countries such as Venezuela, Russia and Iran to avoid sanctions on oil.
Bella 1 began its journey in November last year, sailing from the Gulf of Oman, through the Suez Canal and Strait of Gibraltar, before crossing the Atlantic in early December.
It was approaching the Caribbean Sea at a time of increasing hostilities between the US and Venezuela.
The US had built up a significant military presence in the region, carrying out dozens of strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean.
Then on December 10, the Trump administration seized its first oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela.
"We've just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela, a large tanker, very large — the largest one ever seized actually," US President Donald Trump told reporters.
Days later, Bella 1 abruptly turned and headed north toward Europe.
Mr Trump went on to order "a total and complete" blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela.
The US Coast Guard attempted to board Bella 1 as it approached Venezuelan waters, but was refused entry.
Then as the vessel quickly headed into the Atlantic, its transponders were turned off and it was renamed the Marinera.
It was added to an official Russian shipping registry, with crew members painting a Russian flag on its hull.
Despite efforts to conceal its identity, the US remained in pursuit.
"Motor Tanker Bella I has been trying to evade the Coast Guard for weeks, even changing its flag and painting a new name on the hull while being pursued, in a desperate and failed attempt to escape justice," Homeland Security Secretary Noem said in a post on X.
How the tanker was seized
American and British surveillance aircraft were seen flying over the path of the Marinera in recent days, as it made its way northwards through the Atlantic, quietly shadowed by a Russian submarine.
Then in the early hours of January 7, as the tanker travelled through the waters between Iceland and Scotland, a stream of US aircraft descended on the vessel supported by forces from the UK.
Videos show commandos being lowered onto the ship from helicopters and charging across the deck carrying weapons.
The operation marked what appeared to be the first time in recent memory the US military had seized a Russian-flagged vessel.
Britain's Defence Secretary John Healey said the seizure was "in full compliance with international law", adding the UK "will not stand by as malign activity increases on the high seas".
He said the ship had a long history of "nefarious activity" linked to Russia and Iran.
Russia's Ministry of Transport said in a statement on Wednesday that "contact with the vessel was lost" after US Navy forces boarded it "outside the territorial waters of any state."
Trump's push to dictate oil flows
The Marinera was one of two Venezuela-linked oil tankers intercepted by the US within a few hours.
The US Coast Guard also intercepted a tanker carrying Venezuelan oil, the Panama-flagged M Sophia, near the north-east coast of South America, US officials said.
It was the fourth seizure in recent weeks.
The actions came days after the US seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a military raid on Caracas.
The pair appeared in a New York court this week, where they pleaded not guilty to multiple drug trafficking and weapons charges.
Since ousting the Venezuelan leader, Mr Trump has said that the US will run the South American country and US companies will control its critical oil industry.
Moscow has denounced the seizure of the tanker sailing under its flag, and demanded that the US treat Russians on board properly and permits them to return to Russia quickly.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement that the Marinera crew had made "frantic efforts to avoid apprehension" and "failed to obey" Coast Guard orders, and so faced criminal charges.
ABC/Wires
