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Published On 7 Jan 2026
The United States subject is attempting to prehend a Russian-flagged lipid tanker with links to Venezuela aft a weeks-long pursuit, US and Russian media outlets report.
Two unnamed US officials told the Reuters quality bureau connected Wednesday the cognition is being carried retired by the Coast Guard and US military.
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Russian authorities broadcaster RT reported it appears US forces are trying to committee Venezuela-linked lipid tanker Marinera from a helicopter, and published an representation of a chopper hovering adjacent the ship.
RT cited an unnamed root arsenic saying a US Coast Guard vas has been following the tanker and an effort to prehend it during a tempest had already been carried out.
The cognition came aft the Marinera, primitively known arsenic the Bella-1, slipped done a US maritime “blockade” of sanctioned tankers and rebuffed US Coast Guard efforts to committee it.
US officials accidental the tanker is portion of a alleged shadiness fleet that has carried lipid for countries specified arsenic Venezuela, Russia, and Iran successful usurpation of US sanctions.
US forces person been pursuing the Marinera successful the Atlantic Ocean since past period successful the pb up to the country’s military cognition to abduct Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, which was carried retired connected Saturday.
‘Cat-and-mouse game’
Tracking information from MarineTraffic showed the tanker nearing Iceland’s exclusive economical portion connected Wednesday.
Reuters reported a Russian submarine and warship are successful the vicinity arsenic the cognition unfolds.
Reporting from Moscow, writer Dmitry Medvedenko said determination person been at slightest 2 attempts successful the past weeks of “this cat-and-mouse crippled to prehend this tanker”.
The Russian authorities has not confirmed whether it sent immoderate vessels oregon submarines to travel the Marinera, Medvedenko said.
“The Russian Foreign Ministry lone said that it’s monitoring the concern and it’s been calling this pursuit disproportionate.”
The ministry was cited by authorities media arsenic saying the ship, which is present flying the Russian flag, is successful planetary waters and acting according to planetary maritime law.
It called connected Western countries to respect the vessel’s close to state of navigation.
The vessel was sanctioned by the United States successful 2024 for allegedly smuggling cargo for a institution linked to Lebanese radical Hezbollah.
The US Coast Guard attempted to committee it successful the Caribbean successful December arsenic it headed for Venezuela. The vessel refused boarding and headed crossed the Atlantic.
English (US) ·