Overview
- The Justice and Homeland Security departments, coordinating with Defense and the Coast Guard, said the vessel was taken near Iceland under a U.S. federal warrant.
- The tanker was sanctioned in 2024, recently renamed Marinera under Russian registry, and had been pursued since December 21, with trackers reporting it carried no cargo.
- U.S. European Command published images confirming the operation, describing it as part of a global enforcement push on sanctioned petroleum flows.
- Russia dispatched naval assets to the area and its foreign ministry voiced concern over the interdiction, according to official statements and multiple reports.
- Separately, U.S. authorities said they intercepted another sanctioned, flagless tanker in the Caribbean that is being escorted to the United States, as monitoring firms report multiple loaded ships departing Venezuela with millions of barrels mainly bound for China.