The US has seized a Venezuela-linked oil tanker after a greater than two-week-long pursuit throughout the Atlantic.
The transfer , which might stoke tensions with Russia, got here after the Marinera ship, initially referred to as the Bella-1, slipped by means of a US maritime ‘blockade’ of sanctioned vessels and rebuffed US Coast Guard efforts to board it.
Officers, who have been talking on situation of anonymity, stated the operation, which has now been accomplished, was carried out by the Coast Guard and US navy.
Photos in Russian media purportedly confirmed a helicopter approaching the vessel in the present day.
The chopper seems to be an American MH-6 Little Hen.
American officers added that the Russian navy have been within the basic neighborhood when the operation happened, together with a Russian submarine.
The tanker is the most recent to be focused by the US Coast Guard for the reason that begin of Donald Trump’s strain marketing campaign towards Venezuela.
Final month, the US Coast Guard tried to board it within the Caribbean, armed with a warrant to grab the ship over alleged breaches of US sanctions and claims it had shipped Iranian oil.
Nevertheless, the tanker then abruptly modified course, renamed itself Marinera and was added to an official Russian ship database
At one level whereas being pursued, the crew of the vessel painted a Russian flag on its hull, claiming it was crusing beneath Russian safety, and Moscow made a proper diplomatic request that the US cease its chase.
Photos in Russian media purportedly confirmed helicopters approaching the vessel in the present day
American officers added that Russian navy vessels have been within the basic neighborhood when the operation happened, together with a Russian submarine
The vessel tanker Bella 1 at Singapore Strait, after U.S. officers say the U.S. Coast Guard pursued an oil tanker in worldwide waters close to Venezuela, on this image taken from social media on March 18, 2025
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The newest location knowledge from the vessel confirmed it made an abrupt flip to the south and slowed to simply eight knots, beginning at 11.26am GMT.
It’s now round 124 miles south of Iceland and seems to be heading in direction of northern Scotland.
Information from flight monitoring websites appeared to indicate each British and American navy plane leaving the UK and heading in direction of the realm the vessel is in.
Earlier, the Day by day Mail reported that British Typhoons have been scrambled to intercept the vessel.
The Day by day Mail has contacted the Ministry of Defence for remark.
Downing Avenue has refused to touch upon the matter, or whether or not British navy bases have been used within the operation.
Trump final month stated he had ordered a ‘blockade’ of sanctioned oil tankers getting into and leaving Venezuela, a coverage the federal government in Caracas branded ‘theft’.
Within the run-up to the US seizure of the nation’s former chief Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, Trump repeatedly accused Venezuela’s authorities of utilizing ships to smuggle medication into the US.
Two US officers informed CBS Information on Tuesday that American forces have been planning to board the Marinera and that Washington would favor to grab the vessel moderately than sink it.
Moscow’s Overseas Ministry earlier stated it expects Western nations to respect ideas of freedom of navigation.
Russia has dispatched navy property to guard a sanctioned oil tanker because it crosses the Atlantic, amid mounting threats from the US to grab the vessel
Footage posted by Russian tv community RT purports to indicate a US Coast Guard cutter chasing the Russian-flagged oil tanker
The US European Command stated the US Division of Justice and Homeland Safety have ‘in the present day introduced the seizure of the M/V Bella 1 for violations of US sanctions’.
In a put up on X, they added: ‘The vessel was seized within the North Atlantic pursuant to a warrant issued by a US federal court docket after being tracked by USCGC Munro.’
Individually, the US Coast Guard has additionally intercepted one other Venezuela-linked tanker in Latin American waters, US officers stated, because the US continues implementing a maritime ‘blockade’ of sanctioned vessels from Venezuela.
Footage posted earlier by Russian tv community RT purports to indicate a US Coast Guard cutter chasing the Marinera, which began its journey in Iran.
