The United States has taken control of the oil tanker Marinera, sailing under the Russian flag, approximately 200 kilometres off the coast of Iceland, reports RÚV.
The US had been tracking the vessel for over two weeks as it was en route to Venezuela. Russia had sent warships, including a submarine, to escort the ship.
US authorities have vowed to intercept all oil tankers travelling to and from Venezuela, following the US’s illegal attack on the country and seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
According to RÚV, the oil tanker was inside Iceland’s Exclusive Economic Zone when the US military moved to seize control. It was not, however, within Iceland’s territorial waters, which may explain some public confusion. All foreign ships have the right to navigate EEZ freely, and any state may lay submarine cables within another country’s EEZ.
The Icelandic Coast Guard had been monitoring the vessel but did not intervene otherwise. It is currently unknown whether the Icelandic Foreign Ministry was involved in the operation or had prior knowledge of the operation.
Concerns about the US interest in Greenland have also been prominent in recent days. According to the Greenlandic media outlet Sermitsiaq, Marco Rubio, US Secretary of State, and Vivian Motzfeldt, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greenland, are scheduled to meet next week.
The image features an archival photo of the Icelandic Coast Guard and is used for illustrative purposes only.