Russia has deployed a submarine and other naval assets to escort an aging oil tanker, Marinera, formerly known as Bella 1, which the US has been trying to intercept.
The oil tanker, which sails under the Russian flag, has historically transported Venezuelan crude oil. However, reports suggest that the tanker is not currently carrying oil.
The tanker, which is currently between Iceland and the British Isles, is accused of failing to abide by US sanctions and shipping Iranian oil. The US has been pursuing the tanker, which began its journey from Iran and was heading to Venezuela, across the Atlantic.
It has so far managed to avoid interception since the US Coast Guard tried to board and seize it in December, after the US imposed a blockade on sanctioned oil shipments to and from Venezuela. The US Coast Guard, which has a warrant to seize the tanker over alleged violations of sanctions, continued to trail the tanker into the Eastern Atlantic, where it is now sailing about 300 miles south of Iceland toward the North Sea.
Various media reports, quoting US officials, confirmed that Moscow sent a submarine and other naval vessels to escort the tanker. However, it is still uncertain where the Russian navy might meet the tanker, though the oil tanker’s entry into European waters has coincided with the arrival in the UK of around 10 US military transport aircraft and several helicopters.
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Russia had reportedly urged the US to stop pursuing the tanker. According to The Wall Street Journal, the Russian foreign ministry said it was monitoring the situation surrounding the tanker “with concern,” even as the US Southern Command said in a social media post that it “remains ready to support US government agency partners in standing against sanctioned vessels and actors transiting through this region.”
“For reasons unclear to us, the Russian ship is being given increased and clearly disproportionate attention by the US and NATO military, despite its peaceful status,” the Russian military claimed, adding, “We expect that Western countries, which declare their commitment to freedom of navigation on the high seas, will begin adhering to this principle themselves.”
