The United States was attempting on Wednesday to seize a Russian-flagged oil tanker near Iceland following a pursuit lasting more than two weeks across the Atlantic, two US officials told Reuters. The operation is part of Washington’s blockade of Venezuelan oil exports.
According to the officials, the tanker was being shadowed by Russian naval assets, including a submarine. They said there were no signs of direct confrontation between US and Russian forces during the operation.
The tanker, previously known as Bella-1, had evaded a US maritime blockade in the Caribbean and refused US Coast Guard efforts to board it. It later re-registered under a Russian flag and was renamed Marinera, Reuters reported.
The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the operation involved the US Coast Guard and the US military. The Pentagon and Coast Guard did not immediately respond to requests for comment. There was also no immediate response from Moscow, although Russian state media outlet RT published an image showing a helicopter hovering near the vessel.
Reuters noted that this appeared to be the first known attempt in recent years by the US military to seize a Russian-flagged ship.
Separately, US officials told Reuters that the Coast Guard has intercepted another tanker linked to Venezuela in Latin American waters. That vessel, the Panama-flagged supertanker M Sophia, is under US sanctions and had departed Venezuela earlier this year as part of shipments carrying Venezuelan oil to China with its tracking systems turned off, according to shipping data cited by Reuters.
The actions come as the US continues enforcing sanctions and a blockade on Venezuelan oil exports, which have left millions of barrels stranded on tankers and in storage, Reuters reported.