A sanctioned Russian oil tanker abruptly reversed course near Venezuela after a U.S. warship moved into its path, Bloomberg reported Thursday.

The incident raised new questions about whether Washington is poised to disrupt Moscow's fuel lifeline to Nicolás Maduro's regime.

According to Bloomberg's tanker-tracking data, the Russian vessel — the Seahorse — was traveling toward Venezuela on Nov. 13 to deliver a cargo of naphtha when the USS Stockdale positioned itself directly along the tanker's route. Naphtha is a light hydrocarbon liquid distilled from crude oil.

The Russian ship immediately turned away and began heading toward Cuba, while the U.S. destroyer moved along the edge of Venezuelan territorial waters before sailing toward Puerto Rico.

Bloomberg reported the Seahorse has since made two separate attempts to approach Venezuelan waters, only to retreat each time, leaving the vessel idling in the Caribbean in what analysts described as highly unusual behavior for Russian fuel carriers.

A spokesperson for U.S. Southern Command declined Bloomberg's request for comment on the U.S. warship's movements or its posture toward the Russian tanker.

The Stockdale deployed to the Caribbean in late September as part of a larger U.S. naval presence supporting President Donald Trump's anti-narcotics operations throughout the region.

The Russian tanker, meanwhile, is sanctioned by the United Kingdom and the European Union and is one of only four vessels Moscow uses to supply naphtha to Venezuela's state-run energy sector.

Bloomberg reported the Seahorse had completed a delivery to Venezuela in late October, sailed to Cuba, and was returning to deliver another shipment when the U.S. destroyer appeared in its path.

Shipping analysts told Bloomberg that Russian tankers on the Cuba–Venezuela route do not typically make abrupt U-turns or extended stops, making the vessel's hesitation stand out sharply in satellite-tracking data.

The White House, a Kremlin spokesperson, and Venezuela's Information Ministry did not respond to Bloomberg's requests for comment late Thursday.

Bloomberg noted that Venezuela previously received naphtha shipments from Chevron when the Biden administration eased certain sanctions, but Trump's reinstated "maximum pressure" policy has once again cut off U.S.-sourced supplies.

As a result, the Maduro regime has grown acutely dependent on Russia to deliver the fuel it needs to dilute and ship its heavy crude, making the Seahorse's stalled mission the latest sign of potential U.S. scrutiny over Moscow's support.