Russia has dispatched its navy to escort an oil tanker breaking a US naval blockade on Venezuela, as speculation grows that American forces may try to seize it.
British military aircraft joined those of other Nato allies in tracking the tanker, which is on course to travel north of the UK, between Scotland and Iceland, en route to Russia.
Russia has sent a submarine and other naval vessels to escort the empty oil tanker, a US official told the Wall Street Journal. Russia has requested that the US cease pursuing the vessel, according to the paper. The Russian foreign ministry said it was monitoring “with concern” the situation surrounding the tanker, according to the state news agency RIA on Tuesday.
Russian media have released a video apparently shot from the deck of the oil tanker showing a US Coast Guard cutter trailing them. RT, a state broadcaster, said the US was attempting to intercept the tanker, bound for Murmansk in Russia, despite its “clear civilian status”.
President Trump’s recent action has led to suspicions that he may attempt to seize ships breaking the Venezuela blockade.
The vessel, previously known as the Bella 1, is part of the “shadow fleet” carrying oil in breach of sanctions. It has hastily changed its official flag to that of Russia. Downing Street refused to comment on the tracking by Britain or by Nato allies.
It has also changed its name, and is on a course that may cut into Irish or Danish waters, as it passes from the Atlantic into the North Sea on course towards Russia. It may be attempting to reach the Russian Arctic port of Murmansk.
“At present, our vessel is sailing in the international waters of the North Atlantic under the state flag of the Russian Federation and in full compliance with the norms of international maritime law,” Russia’s foreign ministry said.
“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,” it said. “We expect that western countries, which declare their commitment to freedom of navigation on the high seas, will begin adhering to this principle themselves.”
As it edges closer to the British Isles, it has been monitored by two US P-8 surveillance aircraft flying from RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk. On Tuesday morning, a British Eurofighter Typhoon departing from RAF Lossiemouth could be seen flying in the direction of the tanker, before it disappeared from publicly visible trackers.
An Irish Air Corps plane and a French Navy maritime patrol aircraft departed in the direction of the tanker on Monday.
The two US planes that overflew the runaway tanker passed through Irish airspace while doing so, the Irish Times reported. Ireland forbids military aircraft from using its airspace while on active military operations.
Intelligence sources told CBS News that, before the capture of Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela had considered placing military personnel on tankers disguised as civilians.
The broadcaster reported that Washington had drawn up plans to seize the ship, in an operation similar to the seizure of another tanker taken by the US Coast Guard last month.
This partially redacted image, shared on social media by the US attorney-general, shows an oil tanker being seized by US forces off the coast of Venezuela on December 10
US ATTORNEY GENERAL’S OFFICE/AP
US ATTORNEY GENERAL’S OFFICE/AP
The Marinera has had six names since 2020, and sailed under five country flags. These include a false Guyanese flag, and three others which are classified as “flags of convenience” — countries that allow ships to register with minimal oversight.
It sailed from Iran to Venezuela via the Suez Canal and Strait of Gibraltar last year. The US Coastguard attempted to intercept the ship as it crossed the Caribbean Sea, but after it reflagged and declared itself a Russian vessel, Russia asked the US to stop the chase.
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Data from Kpler, which collates detailed information on oil shipments, shows that last year it transported more than six million barrels of Iranian oil, much of which was transferred at sea to unknown vessels in a high-risk practice used to obscure the origin and final destination of illicit fuel.
The flyovers of Marinera come after evidence collected by the monitor TankerTrackers found a dozen tankers appear to have escaped the US blockade on Venezuela in a co-ordinated action.
Samir Madani, the co-founder of TankerTrackers, said: “They happened straight after the Maduro operation and could only have been pulled off if they were done in a wholesale, co-ordinated manner. That’s the only way to saturate the blockade and make an exit out of the country.”
All the departed vessels identified are under sanctions. Some are now sailing in the Atlantic without safety documentation or any flag.
Tankers which collected oil from Venezuela recently were identified spoofing their location. One, the Bertha, which has previously delivered oil from Venezuela to China, has appeared off Nigeria for the past 14 days. However, satellite imagery analysed by TankerTrackers found it near Venezuela, where it was sending out signals under a false name.
Another, the Vesna, has reported its location in China since November. It was spotted on satellite imagery apparently in a formation with two other vessels, both of which were also falsifying their location.