Russian tanker sanctioned by US sailing through English Channel
A US-sanctioned Russian tanker is crossing the English Channel just 24 hours after a similar ship was seized by American forces with British help.
The USA imposed sanctions on ‘Tavian’ in 2024 for its alleged involvement in illegal oil distribution.
Britain on Wednesday helped US forces seize the Marinera, a Russian-flagged oil tanker previously linked to Venezuela, in the North Atlantic between Iceland and Scotland.
The interception of the ship comes at a time of rising tensions between Europe and the US president as Denmark has repeatedly threatened to seize Greenland territory.
The government did not deny tracking Tavian.
A Ministry of Defense spokesman said: “The Defense Secretary stated in Parliament yesterday that deterring, disrupting and humiliating the Russian stay-behind fleet is a priority for this government. We will not comment on specific operational planning or provide a running commentary on live maritime traffic websites.”
Earlier, Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said the UK was “delighted” to take part in Wednesday’s action.
“We don’t always comment on what our military is engaged in, but yesterday we were very happy to get involved because we saw that it was in our national interest.”
Defense Secretary John Healey told MPs the ship had a “bad history” and was “part of a Russia-Iran sanctions avoidance axis fueling terrorism, conflict and misery from the Middle East to Ukraine”.
He said the seizure was legally justified and that the tanker was “stateless” and that it mistakenly flew the Guyanese flag when it was first stopped, then changed its name and tried to adopt the Russian flag.
He said the UK supported the operation as part of “global efforts to counter sanctions-busting and shadow shipping activities” at the request of US President Donald Trump.
This is developing news, more below…
