They noted that the ship received temporary permission to sail under the state flag on December 24, 2025. Russia insists that this was done “on the basis of Russian legislation and international law.”
The message indicates that US naval forces landed on the ship outside the territorial waters of any state, and communication with the ship was lost.
“In accordance with the norms of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, there is a regime of freedom of navigation in the waters on the high seas, and no state has the right to use force against ships duly registered in the jurisdictions of other states,” the Russian Ministry of Transport said.
Context
American troops pursued three tankers that were trying to trade Venezuelan oil. One of them, called Skipper, was stopped and detained by the coast guard on December 10 on its way to China. Second, Centuries, US Coast Guard took control on December 20th. The third, Marinera (formerly Bella 1), then ran away.
According to the NYT, oil tankers from Venezuela are trying to circumvent the US blockade. masking your true location or turning off data signals.
US military seizes tanker Marinera on January 7 in the Atlantic Ocean near Iceland. The Russian ships that were nearby at that time did not interfere with the American special operation.
