US seizes Russian oil tanker and Moscow denounces its "illegal interception"

WashingtonFirst came the illegal intervention in Venezuela and the kidnapping of Nicolás Maduro. Then, the psychological warfare in Europe with the threats of conquer Greenland by forceAnd just when it seemed that the international order as we know it couldn't be any closer to collapse, the United States intercepted a Russian oil tanker attempting to evade the US blockade in Caracas. This marks an abrupt escalation of tensions with Moscow, following the US's warning to Russia (and also to China) with the kidnapping of the deposed leader. The Kremlin has bared its teeth at the White House: "No state has the right to use force against ships of other jurisdictions."

The US had already tried to intercept the ship, named as Marinera, Two weeks ago, but they didn't succeed. Finally, with the help of the United Kingdom, they were able to capture it in the North Atlantic. The tanker had been sailing across the Atlantic, between Iceland and the United Kingdom, with its tracking device active, according to MarineTraffic tracking data. It was here that the US Coast Guard intercepted it. The ship's destination was unknown, although from where it was seized it could have followed a route via the Baltic or Scandinavia to reach Murmansk, Russia's Arctic port.

In a statement following the US military's notification of the boarding of the MarineraThe Russian Ministry of Transport has denounced the "illegal interception" of the vessel and accused the United States of violating the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. It has demanded that the United States guarantee "humane and dignified treatment" of the Russian citizens aboard the tanker, as well as their swift return home.

Russia has claimed the Marinera –formerly known as Beautiful 1– as a Russian-flagged vessel, although White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt described it as a "Venezuelan ghost fleet ship that has transported sanctioned oil." She added that the ship "had a court order for seizure, as did the crew." "This means that the crew is now subject to prosecution for any potential violations of applicable federal law, and, if warranted, will be transferred to the United States for that prosecution," she stated. This statement contradicts Lavrov's call for the crew's swift return.

The press secretary avoided answering the question of whether the boarding of the tanker poses a risk of conflict with Russia and emphasized: "This administration will fully implement the sanctions policy." In fact, she stressed that "the president has a very clear, honest, and good relationship with both President Putin of Russia and President Xi of China." This statement effectively sidesteps any questions about whether the boarding of the Marinera This could increase tensions with Moscow, and the actions against Venezuela could impact its relationship with Putin and Xi.

Two weeks of pursuit

The US military's European command has confirmed in a statement to X the boarding of the Marinera "To violate US sanctions." The agency asserted that the operation is based on Donald Trump's policies against "sanctioned vessels that threaten the security and stability of the Western Hemisphere." The UK Ministry of Defence also issued a statement saying that it participated in the operation with a warship supporting US forces and with the Royal Air Force providing air surveillance.

The seizure of the tanker comes after Russia sent a submarine and other naval assets to escort the vessel, which had spent two weeks attempting to evade Washington's blockade of sanctioned ships near Venezuela. The Coast Guard was pursuing the Marinera, which he considered part of a phantom fleet of tankers dedicated to transporting Venezuelan crude while evading US sanctions.

Shortly after announcing the capture of the Russian-flagged vessel, the US armed forces also reported the interception of another tanker in the Caribbean Sea, named SophiaAccording to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, the vessel in question is a "stateless and sanctioned tanker that was part of Venezuela's shadow fleet." She asserted that it was in international waters and that it "had last docked in Venezuela or was headed there."