The United States may take steps to seize a Russian-flagged oil tanker crossing the Atlantic to Europe, CBS News, the BBC’s media partner in the United States, reported.
Two U.S. officials told the outlet that U.S. forces planned to intercept the ship, which historically carried Venezuelan crude oil and was believed to be between Scotland and Iceland.
President Donald Trump said last month he was ordering a “blockade” of sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, a move the government called “theft.”
Before Saturday’s arrest of the country’s former leader, Nicolás Maduro, Trump had repeatedly accused the Venezuelan government of using ships to transport drugs to U.S. shores.
The U.S. Coast Guard attempted to board the Bella 1 last month in the Caribbean as it appeared to be heading toward Venezuela.
They had obtained a warrant to seize the ship, accused of violating U.S. sanctions and shipping Iranian oil.
She then dramatically changed course, as well as her name, to Marinera, apparently changing from a Guyanese vessel to a Russian vessel.
Its approach to Europe coincided with the arrival of around ten American military transport planes in the United Kingdom as well as helicopters.
Russia says it is “monitoring with concern” the situation around the ship.
CBS News reported that the two U.S. officials said U.S. forces would rather seize the ship than sink it.
The Marinera is believed to be between Scotland and Iceland, with the distance and weather conditions making boarding difficult.
If an American military operation were to be launched from the United Kingdom, Washington should inform its ally.
For now, the British Ministry of Defense has said it will not comment on other countries’ military activities.
U.S. officials cited by CBS suggested America could mount an operation like the one carried out last month when U.S. Marines and special operations forces working with the U.S. Coast Guard seized the Skipper, a large oil tanker flying the flag of Guyana, after the ship left port in Venezuela.
The tanker’s AIS (automatic identification system) tracking data, which may be falsified or faked, suggests it was in the North Atlantic on Tuesday, about 2,000 km (1,200 miles) west of continental Europe.
Under international law, ships flying a country’s flag are under that country’s protection, but Dimitris Ampatzidis, senior risk and compliance analyst at maritime intelligence firm Kpler, told BBC Verify that changing the ship’s name and flag might not change much.
“The US action is motivated by the underlying identity of the ship [IMO number]ownership/control networks and sanctions history, not by its painted markings or flag,” he said.
Ampatzidis added that switching to the Russian registry could cause “diplomatic friction” but would not stop any U.S. coercive action.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said it was “closely and with concern monitoring the abnormal situation around the Russian tanker Marinera.”
“At present, our ship is sailing in the international waters of the North Atlantic under the flag of the Russian Federation and in full compliance with the norms of international maritime law,” the statement added.
“For reasons we do not clearly understand, the Russian ship is the subject of increased and clearly disproportionate attention from the US and NATO military, despite its peaceful status,” he added.
“We hope that Western countries that declare their commitment to freedom of navigation on the high seas will themselves begin to adhere to this principle.”
The potential standoff over the tanker comes days after the United States shocked the world by using military force to seize Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, an ally of Russia, in the capital Caracas.
He bombed targets in the city during the operation to clear him and his wife on suspicion of weapons and drugs offences.
