NATO worried about dark fleet crews as US seizes Russian tanker
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The seizure of a Russia-linked oil tanker in the North Atlantic has revealed “concern” among NATO and Scandinavian-Baltic governments about dark fleet vessels and the type of crew on board, according to a naval intelligence analyst.
U.S. military and Coast Guard personnel boarded the Marinera, between Iceland and England, on Wednesday for operating under deceptive shipping practices, including flying a false flag and violating sanctions.
Accordingly ReutersRussian authorities demanded that the crew members be treated humanely and repatriated.
Windward maritime intelligence analyst Michelle Wiese Bockmann claimed that ownership of the Marinera had recently been transferred to a Russian company, Burevestmarin LLC.
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According to the statement made by the US military, US forces seized the Russian-flagged Marinera oil tanker in the North Atlantic Sea on Wednesday, January 7, 2026. (US European Command)
“We do not know the situation of these sailors and sailors who are Russian citizens,” Wiese Bockmann told Fox News Digital. “This lack of clarity is common on dark fleet tankers.
“Ownership of Marinera was transferred to a newly formed Russian company, whose registered owner, ship manager and commercial manager is Burevestmarin LLC.”
He also suggested that NATO and the Nordic-Baltic 8+ group of governments were “concerned” about sanctions against oil tankers manned by unauthorized personnel, including “armed guards”.
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According to the statement made by the US military, US forces seized the Russian-flagged Marinera oil tanker in the North Atlantic Sea on Wednesday, January 7, 2026. (US European Command)
“I know that the Northern Baltic 8+ governments are increasingly concerned about the presence of unauthorized persons, also known as armed guards, on board,” Wiese Bockmann said. “But it’s pretty uneven.
“Armed guards are rarely seen and are generally used on ships passing through the Gulf of Aden or the Red Sea and are therefore considered at risk from attack by the Houthis or pirates,” he added.
Following the seizure, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt rejected Russian demands for special treatment for the Marinera crew during her regular briefing Wednesday.
“This was a Venezuelan shadow fleet ship carrying sanctioned oil,” Leavitt said.
“After flying a false flag, the ship was deemed stateless and there was a judicial seizure order against it. Therefore, an investigation will be launched against the crew.”
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said it was “closely monitoring” the situation, according to a state-run statement. TASS news agency.
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A crude oil tanker waits its turn to load crude oil at Lake Maracaibo in Maracaibo, Zulia State, Venezuela, May 9, 2025. (Federico Parra/AFP/Getty Images)
Wiese Bockmann noted that dark fleet crews are often multinational, typically consisting of a Russian captain and Chinese, Indian or Filipino crew.
“There is a blur of commercial and military shipping around the dark fleet,” he said. “What we’re seeing now is something that’s really only emerged in the last six or seven months.”
He also noted that European authorities were beginning to hold crews accountable, especially in cases where captains “facilitated dangerous deceptive shipping practices such as misrepresentation and obfuscation.”
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“The EU recently imposed sanctions on the captain of a tanker who refused orders from the Estonian navy (Jaguar) to stop it for inspection last May. And the French blamed a captain for refusing to obey orders and not justifying the nationality of the flag after authorities seized a dark fleet tanker in the Atlantic last October,” Wiese Bockmann writes. added Wiese Bockmann.
As previously reported by Fox News Digital, a second ship, the M. Sophia, also entered international waters near the Caribbean en route to Venezuela.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.
