US naval forces boarded and seized a runaway Russian shadow fleet tanker in the North Atlantic, the latest in a series of moves by Washington against vessels linked to illegal trade in Venezuelan oil.
The US European Command said in a statement on social media on January 7 that the tanker, the Marinera, formerly named the Bella 1, was seized in the northern Atlantic Ocean between Iceland and the United Kingdom.
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said Washington had deemed the tanker "stateless" after it switched to a Russian flag while out at sea.
"This was a Venezuelan shadow fleet vessel that has transported sanctioned oil. The vessel was deemed stateless after flying a false flag, and it had a judicial seizure order, and that's why the crew will be subject to prosecution," she told reporters at a White House briefing.
"The vessel had a judicial seizure order...so that means the crew is now subject to prosecution for any applicable violation of federal law, and they will be brought to the United States for such prosecution, if necessary," Leavitt added.
Earlier, Russian media showed a US helicopter hovering near the tanker amid reports from several media outlets quoting sources as saying an operation was being carried out involving the vessel.
Leonid Slutsky, chair of the Russian parliament's foreign affairs committee, told the state TASS news agency the seizure is "undoubtedly a violation of maritime law and UN conventions. Another senior lawmaker, Andrei Klishas, called it "outright piracy."
"In accordance with the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, freedom of navigation applies in the high seas, and no state has the right to use force against vessels duly registered in the jurisdictions of other states," the Transport Ministry said.
The move comes days after US forces struck Venezuela and captured its leader, Nicolas Maduro, in a dramatic raid that sent shock waves around the world.
US forces have already seized two ships as part of a campaign against Venezuela in recent weeks: the Skipper on December 10 and the Centuries on December 20.
US President Donald Trump said at the time that he was ordering a "blockade" of sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela.
The Bella 1 set out from Iran for Venezuela, reportedly to load oil. In December, the US Coast Guard attempted to board the ship as it approached Venezuelan waters.
That effort was repelled and the vessel quickly headed into the Atlantic and was renamed the Marinera. It was added to an official Russian shipping registry with crew members painting a Russian flag on it.
The "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 Kirsti Noem said in a post on X.
Moscow had lodged a formal diplomatic protest demanding that Washington halt its pursuit of the ship, which has been under US sanctions since July 2024.
Russia's Foreign Ministry has said the vessel was operating "in full compliance with the norms of international maritime law." According to media reports, Moscow sent a submarine and other naval assets to escort the ship to Russia.
US officials also have accused the ship of being involved in carrying illicit cargo for a company owned by Hezbollah, the Lebanon-based group designated as a terrorist organization by the United States.
Shortly after US officials announced the seizure of the Marinera, US Southern Command said it had apprehended another sanctioned tanker in international waters in the Caribbean.
"The interdicted vessel, M/T Sophia, was operating in international waters and conducting illicit activities in the Caribbean Sea. The US Coast Guard is escorting M/T Sophia to the U.S. for final disposition," it added.
