Relations between the US and Russia have deteriorated after the US military captured a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the North Atlantic. Now this ship named Marinera has been seized by the US Coast Guard and Navy, after which Moscow has strongly protested against it. Moscow says that this action is a violation of international law.
Russia’s Transport Ministry has confirmed that the tanker has been seized. Its Foreign Ministry accused the US of breaking the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and demanded that Russian citizens aboard the ship be immediately returned home.
Russia demanded security for its crew
Following the seizure, Russia warned Washington not to ill-treat its citizens and demanded their immediate return. Moscow also said that the Russian flag had been legally flown on the ship before it was boarded, making the US action illegal.
“Given the information received about the presence of Russian citizens on board the crew, we demand that the US side treat them humanely and respectfully, strictly respect their rights and interests, and not prevent their return to their country,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said. Moscow denounced the seizure of its flagged tanker and demanded that the US treat the Russian crew fairly and allow them to return home early.
The Russian Transport Ministry said it had given the ship “temporary permission” to use the Russian flag and said no country has the right to use coercion against properly registered ships in another country’s waters. Reports revealed that Russia had sent a submarine to rescue the tanker, but US forces boarded it without any hindrance.
It is said that Moscow was a close supporter of the government of former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Both Russia and Venezuela have relied on a secret “dark fleet” of oil tankers that use different tactics to bypass international embargoes and keep oil flowing through isolated countries.
What happened?
The US Coast Guard and Special Forces boarded Marinera, south of Iceland. Officials said the crew did not cause any obstruction and no Russian warships were nearby at the time. At the same time, a second tanker named Sophia was also seized off the northern coast of South America.
Earlier, Russia had sent a submarine and other navy ships to escort the Marinera as she crossed the Atlantic. Even after Moscow warned Washington to stop, the US Navy and Coast Guard ships continued pursuing the tanker.
As tensions grew, Donald Trump said, “I’m not happy with Putin. He’s killing too many people.” The crisis came just days after US forces captured Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores in Caracas. Now he faces drug-trafficking charges in New York.
These actions came as the United States was trying to block almost all exports of Venezuelan crude oil, and just days after American Special Forces conducted a swift raid in Caracas to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
Where and how was the marinera transported?
The US military said its forces had “seized” Marinera in the North Atlantic, in the waters between Scotland and Iceland. Officials said the ship violated US sanctions. Although there was no oil on board at the time, the tanker had previously attempted to reach Venezuela to load crude oil and had been evading US forces for more than two weeks.
On the same day, US authorities intercepted another tanker carrying up to two million barrels of Venezuelan oil, according to ship-tracking companies.
Let us tell you that the name of the ship was earlier Bela-1. When US forces first tried to board her, the tanker refused and ran into the Atlantic. She later changed her name to Marinera and re-registered under the Russian flag to avoid capture.
Data from Kpler and TankerTrackers.com shows that both seized tankers are part of a hidden shipping network, often referred to as a “ghost fleet.” These ships secretly carry oil to countries like Russia, Iran and Venezuela despite heavy international ban. This network is also known as “Dark Fleet” or “Shadow Fleet”. These ships use false identity, location tricks and changing flags to avoid detection while carrying banned oil around the world.
Why did the US target Marinera?
US officials believe the Marinera was part of a shadow fleet that was carrying oil to embargoed countries such as Venezuela, Russia and Iran. Two more ships of this network, Skipper and Centuries, were also recently seized by the US.
Also read: This woman is on the police radar in Delhi’s Turkman Gate violence case