US Seizes Sanctions-Dodging Tanker in North Atlantic as Russia and China Protest

Overview

• US authorities took control of the tanker identified by Washington as Bella‑1 and by Moscow as Marinera after a weeks‑long pursuit between Iceland and Scotland, using Navy P‑8 and AC‑130 aircraft with UK operational support.
• Officials also announced the capture of a second vessel, the M/T Sophia in the Caribbean, which was carrying Venezuelan crude and will be escorted to the United States.
• Russia says the ship is the Marinera operating under a provisional Russian flag granted on December 24, while the US characterizes it as the stateless Bella‑1 tied to a ghost fleet that evades sanctions.
• Moscow lodged formal protests calling the seizure illegal, demanded humane treatment and release of Russian crew, and had dispatched naval assets to escort the tanker during the chase.
• China condemned the actions as arbitrary and a serious breach of international law, reiterating its opposition to unilateral sanctions not authorized by the UN Security Council.