US Captures Marinera After High-Intensity Chase
US seizure Russian oil tanker, A United States Coast Guard cutter seized a Russian-operated oil tanker Marelinear approximately two weeks after it left Venezuelan waters and was attempting to sail away from Iceland. The vessel measures about 300 metres in length and was tracked from Venezuelan waters through the Atlantic until seized at Iceland. It had attempted to evade U.S. government-ordered sanctions. During its final hours of trip, the Marelinear website was changed to reflect the new name of the ship and new Country Flag.
The seizure operation supported by British overflight support, British Royal Navy support ship RFA Tideforce and direct support from multiple helicopters from the U.S. Army 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR), also known as Night Stalkers. The tanker previously called Bella 1 and was part of a fleet of covert commercial vessels transporting illegal cargo on behalf of Iran, Venezuela, and Russia.
Moscow Condemns Seizure, Calls It “Piracy”
In response to Washington’s seizure, Russia reacted strongly, denouncing that act as a clear breach of the law governing open seas. The Ministry of Transport stated that free passage for vessels operating on open waters protects all vessels against seizure by another country. In addition, the Ministry demanded that the Russian crew members aboard Marinera allowed to return home unscathed and that they should returned immediately. Andrei Klishas, a ranking member of the Duma, asserted that the US had acted as a “pirate” and said that there would be consequences for that action.
Alexei Zhuravlev, another member of the Duma, stated that Russia would respond to such acts of piracy with force and threatened to attack US naval vessels patrolling international waters. Moscow also accused the US government of undermining the world order after removing President Nicolás Maduro from office through an armed incursion in Venezuela. US seizure Russian oil tanker, Moscow would continue to support interim president Delcy Rodríguez against declared foreign aggression directed at Venezuela, according to a statement from the Russian government.
Seizure Raises New Questions for US-Russia Relations
Analysts think that this new operation puts additional pressure on Vladimir Putin while he is still negotiating with the United States and Ukraine on the terms of a peace agreement. “The seizure adds new momentum to our efforts to help stabilize Venezuela and combat the illicit oil trade financing terrorism,” President Donald Trump said. UK Defence Secretary John Healey added that Marinera’s cargo in transit when it captured and had previously transported millions of barrels of Iranian oil to used to finance hostile networks.
According to experts, its capture further exposes Russia’s vulnerabilities; aircraft used by Russia have been unable to defend against recent US and Israeli attacks on Iran’s assets. The operation also indicates an increasingly hard line from the US against “shadow fleets” aiding Russia in evading sanctions. However, many experts warn that increased confrontations between the two countries create a greater possibility of miscalculating one another due to both being nuclear powers; both nations are watching for the other to respond to the increasing tensions in the maritime realm.
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