British jets join hunt for rogue Venezuelan tanker which can carry £37million worth of oil in the Atlantic
RAF warplanes scrambled to intercept a Venezuelan oil tanker in the Atlantic yesterday as the US planned a dramatic mission to capture it.
In dramatic Cold War-like scenes, the Typhoons were brought into action as Britain was drawn into America’s controversial campaign against the Latin American state.
According to reports, the Trump administration wants to raid the ship, now registered to Russia, which passed 500 miles off the coast of Ireland yesterday, and prefers to “seize rather than sink”.
Following the surgical strike on Caracas that led to the capture of President Nicolas Maduro, the Pentagon has set its sights on Bella 1 after sanctioning it in 2024 for operating within a ‘shadow fleet’ of tankers carrying illicit Venezuelan oil.
The tanker, thought to be empty but capable of carrying £37 million worth of oil, has changed its flag and name several times.
The ship, which set sail from the Caribbean in December in an attempt to evade US lawmakers, now operates as Marinera and its crew has even painted on the Russian flag, appealing to Vladimir Putin.
But a showdown in the North Atlantic is on the horizon as the United States tries to stop the ship, thought to be trading on behalf of the Kremlin, before it sails into Russian waters.
Moscow’s Foreign Ministry said it expects Western countries to respect the principles of freedom of navigation.
RAF warplanes scrambled to intercept a Venezuelan oil tanker in the Atlantic yesterday as the US planned a dramatic mission to capture it. Picture: A CV-22B Osprey was seen performing winching exercises off the coast of Felixstowe.
There may be a repeat of scenes last month when the US Coast Guard carried out a dramatic raid on the tanker The Skipper, which was being used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran.
The US says the network of shadow ships provides funding for “foreign terrorist organisations”, citing armed US personnel landing on the Skipper from helicopters.
US plans to land at Marinera appear to explain the sudden build-up of US assets at British air bases in recent days.
At least ten C-17 Globemaster aircraft have landed at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire. During landing, the crew deployed Blackhawk and Chinook helicopters flying inside the carriers.
Meanwhile, photos taken by an amateur photographer showed soldiers hanging from a USAF Osprey helicopter, possibly rehearsing for a raid on Marinera off the coast of Felixstowe on Monday.
Flight data trackers also detected a US U-2 Dragon Lady reconnaissance aircraft arriving in the UK, while a Poseidon P-8 intelligence aircraft from a US airbase in Spain joined the mission.
However, the operation could prove dangerous due to sea conditions, Marinera’s distance from land, and the presence of Russian submarines in the area.
Marinera was off the coast of Iceland last night as British and US reconnaissance planes circled overhead.
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The Typhoons were joined by an RAF Rivet Joint intelligence gathering aircraft and an RAF Voyager refueling aircraft.
The Ministry of Defense last night refused to provide any information as at least four RAF aircraft were involved and more US aircraft were arriving in this country.
This was a desperate attempt to bridge the gap between Britain’s European allies and the White House.
While the news in the US press predicted an intervention in the high seas, President Trump was boasting about the power of his army.
He told the Republicans’ annual meeting in Washington: ‘The United States has proven once again that we have the strongest, most lethal, most sophisticated and most intimidating military on planet Earth.
‘I’ve been saying this for a long time. ‘Nobody can take us.’
Tankers and cargo ships have been fleeing Venezuela as the United States has increased pressure on the country in recent weeks.
Mr. Trump imposed a blockade on all sanctioned tankers heading to Venezuela in December. However, Marinera escaped from the hands of US authorities and set off across the Atlantic.
More than a dozen sanctioned tankers escaped from Venezuela in ‘dark mode’ in a bid to evade the US blockade.
The 16 ships, mostly loaded with Venezuelan crude oil and fuel, used tactics such as hiding their location or shutting down transmission signals.
According to Reuters, bosses of US oil companies are expected to visit the White House starting tomorrow to discuss investments in Venezuela.
A Ministry of Defense spokesman said: ‘We do not routinely comment on the operational activities of other nations, including the use of UK bases by third parties.
‘The US is the UK’s principal defense and security partner. ‘The depth of our defense relationship with the United States remains an important part of our security.’
