US officials had been tracking the tanker across the Atlantic after it evaded a US maritime blockade, repeatedly refused boarding requests from the US Coast Guard, and attempted to avoid interdiction by changing its flag and registration.
Russia on Wednesday strongly condemned the seizure of a Russian flagged oil tanker by US military forces, saying Washington had no legal authority to use force against a vessel lawfully registered under another country’s jurisdiction on the high seas.
In a statement issued on Telegram, Russia’s ministry of transport said the tanker Marinera, formerly known as Bella 1, had been granted a temporary permit to sail under the Russian flag on December 24, 2025, in line with Russian and international law.
According to news agency ANI, the ministry said the vessel was boarded by US naval forces outside the territorial waters of any state, after which contact with the ship was lost.
“On December 24, 2025, the Marinera received a temporary permit to sail under the Russian Federation flag, issued in accordance with Russian law and international law. Today, at approximately 3:00 pm Moscow time, the vessel was boarded by US Navy forces in the high seas outside the territorial waters of any state, and contact with the vessel was lost,” the statement said.
All about the oil tanker seizure
Freedom of navigation invoked
Citing the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the ministry underlined that freedom of navigation applies in international waters.
“In accordance with the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, freedom of navigation applies in high seas waters, and no state has the right to use force against vessels duly registered in the jurisdictions of other states,” it added.
US cites sanctions violations
The Russian statement followed an announcement by the US European Command that it had seized the Russian flagged oil tanker M V Bella 1 in the North Atlantic Ocean.
In a post on X, the command said the vessel was seized under a warrant issued by a US federal court for violations of US sanctions, after being tracked for weeks by the US Coast Guard cutter Munro. US authorities claimed the tanker had evaded a US blockade of sanctioned oil vessels near Venezuela for more than a fortnight.
Escalating US-Russia tensions
The operation was carried out by the department of homeland security with support from the department of war, which officials described as a “whole of government approach” to protecting US national security.
According to AP, the ship was sanctioned by the US in 2024 and was later renamed Marinera and reflagged under Russia. The seizure has further heightened tensions between Washington and Moscow, with reports suggesting that Russia had deployed naval assets to escort the tanker during the standoff.
How the oil tanker is linked to Russia
The development comes amid reports that Moscow attempted to protect the vessel by deploying naval forces to escort it.
The tanker was originally called Bella 1 and has been linked to sanctioned Venezuelan oil shipments. It is reported to have evaded a US maritime “blockade” targeting such vessels and repeatedly resisted efforts by the US Coast Guard to board it. After these attempts failed, the ship undertook a prolonged journey through international waters.
During this period, the vessel was renamed Marinera and reflagged under a Russian registry, a move that significantly complicated the situation.
Why the seizure could raise US-Russia tensions
The reflagging of Marinera under the Russian registry adds a crucial geopolitical dimension. Any attempt to seize a Russian flagged vessel risks drawing Moscow more directly into disputes over the enforcement of sanctions.
Russia has deepened its political and economic ties with Venezuela and has consistently criticised US sanctions as illegal. It has also warned against interference with ships operating under the Russian flag.
Also read: How this move could heighten tensions with Russia
