The United States sold Russian oil tankers subject to sanctions, seized in January during the blockade of Venezuela, to a UAE company for scrap metal. UNN reports this with reference to Reuters.
Details
According to the report, Global Marketing Systems, a company specializing in ship recycling and headquartered in Dubai, purchased the tankers last month for an undisclosed sum.
As stated in the report, the sale included the vessel "Era", previously operated under the names "Marinera" and "Bella 1", as well as the vessel "Lileo", which previously sailed under the names "Galileo" and "Veronica". The tankers will be recycled at scrap yards in India.
The U.S. government sold them to us, and there was a court order authorizing the sale, but there are certain complications, including the fact that we were not entirely sure who previously owned them
GMS did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
Context
In January 2026, the U.S. Coast Guard and military special operations forces seized the Russian-flagged vessel "Era" in waters south of Iceland, ending a week-long pursuit across the Atlantic Ocean. Earlier, the vessel had broken through a U.S. blockade in the Caribbean aimed at halting oil exports from Venezuela.
The United States also seized a Russian-flagged vessel in the Caribbean Sea, now known as "Lileo". The tanker was subject to U.S. sanctions against Russia.
Reminder
U.S. President Donald Trump extended for 90 days the authorization for foreign vessels to transport oil and certain other goods between U.S. ports in violation of the requirements of the Jones Act.