US forces seize Russian oil tanker, risking military clash

1 day ago 4

London: US forces have boarded a Russian tanker off the coast of Iceland in a dramatic mission to enforce oil sanctions despite protests from Moscow, while also intercepting a second “ghost fleet” vessel in the Caribbean.

The US gained naval assistance from Britain to chase and halt the Russian ship, with US Coast Guard personnel rappelling to the deck from helicopters above, as the vessel sought to return from Venezuela and cross the North Sea to a home port.

A US Coast Guard helicopter hovers above the tanker as personnel descend to its deck.

The extraordinary move, days after the US military operation in Venezuela, came as US President Donald Trump blamed NATO allies for failing to spend enough on defence after they warned him against trying to take over Greenland.

“Remember, for all of those big NATO fans, they were at 2 per cent GDP, and most weren’t paying their bills, UNTIL I CAME ALONG,” he tweeted.

“We will always be there for NATO, even if they won’t be there for us.”

The US Coast Guard tracked the two tankers for weeks after they left Venezuela to escape the American sanctions on the country’s oil exports. Russia dispatched a submarine to the North Atlantic in an attempt to prevent any interception.

The tanker heading toward the North Sea, known as the Marinera and previously called the Bella 1, was returning empty because it had failed to take on a load of Venezuelan oil as planned, and its crew had hastily painted a Russian flag on its hull to discourage the US from boarding.

“The world’s criminals are on notice. You can run, but you can’t hide,” said US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.

“We will never relent in our mission to protect the American people and disrupt the funding of narco terrorism wherever we find it, period.”

The military move represents a dramatic escalation in tensions between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin after contrasting moments of warmth and friction over the past year, as the US leader jas tried to negotiate a peace deal on Ukraine.

A 2014 photo showing the tanker known as Bella 1, which changed its name to the Marinera and is sailing under the flag of Russia. She was seized in the North Atlantic ocean by US forces.

The two raids took place late on Wednesday night, AEDT.

The US prepared to intercept the Marinera by sending helicopters and personnel to a Royal Air Force base in Suffolk, raising expectations about the use of force despite the Russian warnings.

While British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has joined European allies in warning Trump against trying to take control of Greenland, the clash over the Arctic territory has not prevented the allies negotiating peace terms for Ukraine or working together to stop the tankers.

On Tuesday, hours before the US Coast Guard operation, Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron pledged to send troops to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire, in a move welcomed at a meeting in Paris with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

Volodymyr Zelensky President of Ukraine, Emmanuel Macron President of France and Keir Starmer Prime Minister of Great Britain attend a signing ceremony during the ‘Coalition Of The Willing’ meeting at Elysee Palace on January 6, 2026 in Paris, France.

The UK worked with the US military for several days to support the operation against the Marinera, sending the military tanker Tideforce, part of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, in case the US Coast Guard needed fuel. The Royal Air Force also provided surveillance from the air.

The Marinera has been sanctioned by US authorities since 2024 for transporting Iranian oil. It has been known by several names and has flown various national flags during its history as one of the “shadow fleet” seeking to evade sanctions.

UK Defence Secretary John Healey said the UK assisted the interception as part of its policy of disrupting the Russian oil trade.

“This ship, with a nefarious history, is part of a Russian-Iranian axis of sanctions evasion which is fuelling terrorism, conflict, and misery from the Middle East to Ukraine,” he said.

“The UK will continue to step up our action against shadow fleet activity to protect our national security, our economy, and global stability – making Britain secure at home and strong abroad.”

The US military confirmed its forces had taken control of the Russian vessel in the North Atlantic, between Scotland and Iceland.

“The vessel was seized in the North Atlantic pursuant to a warrant issued by a US federal court after being tracked by USCGC Munro,” it said.

The US also said it had apprehended a “stateless” vessel, the Sophia, in international waters in the Caribbean because it was conducting “illicit” activities. It said the ship was being escorted to the US.

The Russian Transport Ministry issued a complaint about the US seizure and admitted it had lost contact with the Marinera.

“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 ministry said in a statement.

Russia has asked for the return of the Russian crew members, according to a report in media outlet Tass.

One member of the Russian parliament, Andrei Klishas, called the interception and act of piracy.

“After a ‘law enforcement operation’ that killed several dozen people in Venezuela, the US has engaged in outright piracy on the high seas,” Klishas posted on Telegram.

The Marinera sailed from Iran towards Venezuela in December but never docked in the South American nation due to the US blockade. As the US Coast Guard gave chase, the Marinera began switched to sailing under the Russian flag and headed to the North Atlantic, as its crew painted the Russian flag on its hull.

Despite the concerns about a military confrontation, there were no Russian vessels in the vicinity of the tanker when the US Coast Guard boarded the ship, two US officials told The New York Times.

While this was a rare move for the US against a Russian ship, French commandoes took similar action against a “shadow fleet” vessel last year off the coast of France.

The extraordinary US intervention in Venezuela has radically altered the dynamics of the oil trade by removing the country’s leader, Nicolas Maduro, who had tightened the nation’s ties with China and Russia.

Trump announced a deal with Maduro’s successor, Delcy Rodriguez, to ship millions of barrels of Venezuelan oil, estimated to be worth about $3 billion, to the US so the commodity could be sold and the money used by the US government at the president’s discretion.

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