UK forces helped US seizure of tanker, says MoD
British armed forces supported the US seizure of a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the North Atlantic on Wednesday, the Ministry of Defense said.
The Venezuela-bound tanker Marinera, formerly known as Bella 1, was stopped by the US Coast Guard while heading north through the waters between Iceland and Scotland.
The Ministry of Defense said that the US asked for help from the UK and that RAF surveillance aircraft and the Royal Navy support ship RFA Tideforce were involved in the operation.
Defense Secretary John Healey said the action was “fully in line with international law”, adding that the UK “will not stand by and watch as malicious activity escalates on the high seas”.
Healey, who explained why Britain participated in the operation in his statement to MPs on Tuesday, said that the government had “accelerated activity against shadow ships”.
Marinera is accused of being part of a shadow fleet that transported oil to Venezuela, Russia and Iran in defiance of US sanctions.
The US Coast Guard had a warrant to seize the ship and had attempted to board the tanker in the Caribbean last month. But the tanker significantly changed course, changed its name and was re-registered as a Russian ship, and the US has been tracking it for two weeks.
Healey said: “By helping our US allies remove this ship from the seas, we are protecting the British people and our nation.”
He said the ship had a long history of “treacherous activity” linked to Russia and Iran and that Iran was a “constant danger” to Britain.
Stating that the ship, which has been sanctioned by the USA since 2024, carries 7.3 million barrels of oil on behalf of Iran, Healey said, “The income obtained from this is used to finance terrorism, threats and instability around the world.”
He also said the stay-behind fleet was “vital to Putin’s ongoing illegal occupation and war in Ukraine.”
Shadow fleets or stealth fleets are becoming increasingly common; Venezuela, Iran and Russia are accused of using them to evade sanctions on oil.
Financial intelligence firm S&P Global estimates that one in five oil tankers worldwide are used to smuggle oil from sanctioned countries. The ships are mostly old tankers and use false flags to avoid detection.
Healey praised the “bravery” of US forces in the operation and said no British personnel were involved in the boarding.
The seizure of the Marinera came as the United States said it had seized another tanker in the Caribbean, the Sophia, with connections to Venezuela, and just days after a military operation in Caracas to remove President Nicolás Maduro from power.
The Ministry of Defense said in a statement that Marinera was also considered to be involved in illegal activities linked to the Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah.
The statement said: “The ship, which initially flew a false flag, turned off its transmitters while at sea and attempted to raise the flag again while being pursued.”
Moscow said the Marinera was only temporarily marked as a Russian ship and that “no state has the right to use force against ships registered under the jurisdiction of other countries.”
He also demanded that the United States provide “humane and appropriate treatment” to Russian citizens on the ship.
