U.S. military seizes oil tanker in North Atlantic, Russia responds

U.S. European Command said on Wednesday that it had seized an oil tanker linked with Venezuela and registered as a Russian vessel in an operation in the North Atlantic.

In a social media post, the command said the U.S. Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security, in coordination with the U.S. Department of Defense, "announced the seizure of the M/V Bella 1 for violations of U.S. sanctions."

"The vessel was seized in the North Atlantic pursuant to a warrant issued by a U.S. federal court after being tracked by USCGC Munro," said the command.

The seizure of the oil tanker Marinera, formerly known as Bella-1, which has been under U.S. sanctions targeting Iran, was made after an active pursuit since late December by U.S. forces, according to CBS News and other U.S. media reports.

According to the reports, in December 2025, the tanker, when flying the Panamanian flag, was boarded by U.S. personnel while en route to Venezuela to load cargo.

UK assisted in the seizure

It has been confirmed that the UK assisted in the seizure of the tanker upon U.S. request. The UK's armed forces gave "pre-planned operational assistance, including basing support, to U.S. military assets operating in the UK-Iceland-Greenland gap." A military vessel helped the U.S. forces pursue the tanker, and the Royal Air Force provided surveillance support from the air.

Response from Russia

The Russian Transport Ministry responded to the seizure by saying that no state has the right to use force against vessels duly registered under the jurisdiction of other states, noting the principle of freedom of navigation in the high seas in accordance with the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a social media post that: "Considering the incoming information regarding the presence of Russian citizens among the crew, we demand that the American side ensure their humane and dignified treatment, strictly respect their rights and interests, and not impede their speedy return to their homeland."

Expert: U.S. behavior is 'State-level piracy'

Russian military expert Vasiliy Dandykin said that U.S. behavior is "state-level piracy."

"Usually when we talk about pirates, we refer to Somalia and to illegal organizations. But the vessel tracking the tanker Marinera was a ship of the U.S. Coast Guard. And where is the U.S. coast? Thousands of nautical miles away," said Dandykin. 

"This incident has opened Pandora's box," Dandykin noted. "If such incidents occur not only in internal waters but also on the open oceans, which cover three-quarters of the Earth's surface, then this will be extremely, extremely tragic, even for the initiator of these events."

Russian political expert Malek Dudakov pointed out that the U.S. once again violated the international law when seizing an oil tanker in neutral waters. 

"It is clear that through its own behavior, the United States is undermining the international community's trust in the international system it has long claimed to help build. The consequences will therefore be lasting, and first and foremost negative for the United States itself."

Dudakov commented that the consequences of this incident will be "long term," and this incident may not be a one-time incident.

"At present, it is still difficult to foresee whether there will be any unexpected escalation. What is more likely is that the U.S. will continue to carry out such pirate-style inspections or similar actions," he said. 

"Russia will more frequently provide armed escorts for its oil tankers, because under current conditions, there is no more appropriate method. On the diplomatic front, we (Russia) will communicate with the United States and demand that it refrain from such behavior. Clearly, however, it is quite possible that the U.S. will not make any adjustments to its foreign policy," Dudakov added. 

(With input from agencies)