Russian oil tanker seizure: Everything we know about US' brazen mission

The US has seized the Venezuela-linked oil tanker (Image: @US_EUCOM/X/PA Wire)

The US has seized a Venezuela-linked oil tanker which is travelling off British waters, an official has said. US forces boarded the Marinera, a Russian-flagged vessel previously known as Bella-1, on Wednesday, as it travelled north and eastwards through the waters between Iceland and Scotland.

The vessel was said to have escaped Donald Trump’s “total naval blockade” of Venezuela, put in place in December. Photos shared by the US’s European military command on social media as it confirmed the seizure showed the Marinera at a distance off the prow of an American vessel. Several US military planes and British surveillance aircraft have been seen patrolling the skies in the vicinity of the oil tanker in recent days as it travelled through the North Atlantic.

U.S. Southern Command takes over vessel M/T Sophia

A US official said that American law enforcement officials are now aboard the Marinera, supported by the nation’s armed forces.

There are no indications so far of gunfire during the seizure of the vessel.

The US European Command said the tanker had been “seized in the North Atlantic pursuant to a warrant issued by a US federal court after being tracked by USCGC Munro”.

It continued: “This seizure supports (Mr Trump’s) Proclamation targeting sanctioned vessels that threaten the security and stability of the Western Hemisphere.”

The Ministry of Defence confirmed that it had provided enabling support to the United States at their request, with the ship branded “part of a Russian-Iranian axis.”

The MOD confirmed that the country provided pre-planned operational support, including basing, to U.S. military assets interdicting the Bella 1 in the UK-Iceland-Greenland gap following a U.S. request for assistance. RFA Tideforce provided support for U.S. forces pursuing and interdicting the Bella 1, while the RAF provided surveillance support from the air.

Defence Secretary John Healey MP said: “Today our UK Armed Forces showed skill and professionalism in support of a successful U.S. interception of the vessel Bella 1 while on its way to Russia. This action formed part of global efforts to crack down on sanctions busting.

“This ship, with a nefarious history, is part of a Russian-Iranian axis of sanctions evasion which is fuelling terrorism, conflict, and misery from the Middle East to Ukraine.

“The UK will continue to step up our action against shadow fleet activity to protect our national security, our economy, and global stability – making Britain secure at home and strong abroad.

“The U.S. is the UK’s closest defence and security partner. The depth of our defence relationship with the U.S. is an essential part of our security, and today’s seamlessly executed operation shows just how well this works in practice.”

The ship was seized whilst travelling off British waters (Image: @US_EUCOM/X/PA Wire)

A defence source detailed to the Daily Express just how British airframes could have contributed to the successful capture in reality.

They said: “The P8 Poseidon is a maritime patrol aircraft. It has lots of sensors and communications equipment as well as anti-submarine warfare capabilities.

“It is likely that they were supporting with intelligence and target reconnaissance, using the sensors to track the Russian sub(s) and any other marine traffic in the area.

“They would also have the capability to drop sonor buoys and I think, torpedoes to deter to attack any subs or hostile ships/boats.”

They added: “The A400 provides overwatch, comms support and search and rescue capabilities. It may also have had other back up equipment that a boarding force may need that could be dropped.

“It also can have another role of dropping sonor buoys to help with submarine detection to support the P8.”

P8 Poseidon submarine-hunting aircraft and KC-135 refuelling planes have also been seen on flight tracking websites, heading to the area near the tanker.

A British military transport aircraft, an Atlas A400M, could also be seen in the vicinity of the vessel, having left Brize Norton on Wednesday.

Earlier on Tuesday, an RAF RC-135W Rivet Joint surveillance plane was seen flying over the path of the tanker.

The tanker appeared to be sailing north-east between Iceland and the UK on Wednesday.

Flight tracking websites showed US special operations aircraft landing at a Scottish airport, Wick John O’Groats, before flying further north towards Iceland on Wednesday.

The U-28A aircraft are used by the US Air Force’s special operations command and are used for intelligence-gathering and co-ordinating other aircraft.

Russia has labelled the seizure 'piracy' (Image: @US_EUCOM/X)

The end to the weeks-long US pursuit of the tanker comes after the Trump administration’s weekend raid on Venezuela, which led to the removal and capture of its then President Nicolas Maduro.

Ahead of the Marinera’s seizure, Kremlin adviser and former Russian deputy foreign minister Andrei Fedorov warned such a move would be considered an attack on Russia.

“For Russia, it’s a very important thing, because if there will be attack from US, it will be considered as attack on Russia, and it could lead to very critical or maybe even crisis situation in relations between Russia and US,” he told BBC Radio 4’s World At One programme.

Mr Fedorov said Russian submarines speeding towards the tanker would not fire on the US forces but could cause “technical difficulties” such as a “slight collision”.

He said the Marinera was registered in Sochi within hours after it painted a Russian flag on its side to change flags from Venezuelan to Russian.