Overview
- U.S. Coast Guard and military teams boarded the VLCC in international waters between Scotland and Iceland under a federal seizure warrant for sanctions violations.
- Officials reported Russian naval units, including a submarine, in the vicinity as the ship was placed under U.S. control with its crew subject to potential prosecution.
- The tanker, long under U.S. sanctions for links to Iranian and Venezuelan crude, had refused a December boarding near Venezuela, disabled tracking, and reflagged mid-voyage to Russia as “Marinera.”
- Moscow denounced the operation as unlawful under the UN Law of the Sea, cited a temporary Russian navigation permit, and requested humane treatment and swift return of any Russian crew.
- The U.K. confirmed RAF bases and aerial surveillance support for the mission, and U.S. authorities said a second vessel, the Sophia, was seized in the Caribbean.