Washington DC [US], January 8 (HBTV): The United States has said it had seized the Russian-flagged oil tanker M/V Bella 1 in the North Atlantic after weeks of pursuit by the US Coast Guard, following the vessel’s alleged violation of US sanctions.
According to a post on X by the US European Command, the tanker breached US sanctions and was tracked by the US Coast Guard cutter Munro prior to the seizure. The command said the vessel was taken into custody under a warrant issued by a US federal court.
‘The Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security, in coordination with the Department of War, today announced the seizure of the M/V Bella 1 for violations of US sanctions. The vessel was seized in the North Atlantic pursuant to a warrant issued by a US federal court after being tracked by USCGC Munro,’ the post said.
The command added that the seizure supported the US President’s proclamation targeting sanctioned vessels that threaten the security and stability of the Western Hemisphere. It said the operation was carried out by components of the Department of Homeland Security with support from the Department of War, reflecting a ‘whole-of-government approach’ to protecting US interests and national security.
Earlier, RT News shared visuals showing a boarding attempt by military personnel on the vessel. Originally named Bella 1, the tanker was sanctioned in 2024 and later renamed Marinera.
The oil tanker has recently been at the centre of heightened tensions between the US and Russia, with Russia reportedly deploying naval assets, including a submarine, in an effort to bring the vessel back, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. The report said the tanker had been attempting to evade a US blockade of sanctioned oil tankers near Venezuela for more than a fortnight.
According to the report, the vessel failed to dock in Venezuela to load oil and was empty at the time of the seizure. Despite this, the US Coast Guard pursued it into the Atlantic as part of efforts to crack down on a fleet of tankers involved in transporting illicit oil, including black-market oil sold by Russia.
In December, the vessel’s crew was involved in a standoff with US law enforcement agents who attempted to board the ship, after which it sailed into the Atlantic. Russia has since expressed concern over US seizures of tankers carrying its oil worldwide.
On Tuesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said it was monitoring the situation surrounding the tanker ‘with concern’, according to state news agency RIA. The same day, the US military’s Southern Command said in a post on X that it was prepared to ‘stand against sanctioned vessels in the region’.
The US Coast Guard later trailed the ship into the eastern Atlantic, where it was sailing about 300 miles south of Iceland toward the North Sea, according to AIS positioning data cited by The Wall Street Journal.
(ANI)