US seizes Russian tanker linked to Venezuelan exports
U.S. forces seized the Russian-flagged oil tanker Marinera, which had ties to Venezuelan exports. The raid took place off Iceland after a more than two-week pursuit across the Atlantic.
The ship, formerly known as the Bella-1, tried to circumvent the US oil blockade and refused to stop off the Caribbean. The seizure came shortly after the dramatic capture of President Nicolás Maduro and is part of Washington's broader campaign against the "shadow fleet" supporting sanctioned regimes.
The operation was carried out in the presence of a Russian submarine. Moscow said on Wednesday that the seizure of the Russian-flagged tanker constituted a violation of maritime law.
"In accordance with the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, freedom of navigation applies on the high seas and no state has the right to use force against vessels duly registered under the jurisdiction of other states," the transport ministry said in a statement.
According to the ministry, after the Mariner was boarded by US naval forces, they lost contact with the vessel.
Meanwhile, the U.S. has also detained another tanker - the M Sophia bound from Venezuela to China.
Trump announced that he had reached a tentative oil deal worth two billion dollars with Caracas to redirect supplies to the US market. Caracas accuses the US of trying to control Venezuela's oil reserves.
(reuters, pir)