On Wednesday afternoon, US forces seized the tanker Marinera, formerly known as Bella 1. It was successfully intercepted off the British Isles in an operation supported by the Royal Navy and RAF, after more than two weeks of chasing it. The Marinera was sailing towards Venezuela. According to The Guardian, two more tankers – Aria and Tia – are now sailing towards Russia.
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Suspicious tankers. The Ministry of Defense is silent
According to “The Guardian”, Tia sails from Turkey to a port on the Russian coast of the Gulf of Finland. In 2024, it was placed under US sanctions for transporting crude oil from Venezuela, after which its name was changed to Arcusat and finally to Tiavan. In turn, the Aria tanker was subject to US sanctions due to its links with the largest Russian shipping company. Now it is sailing towards the Russian port of Ust-Luga in the Baltic Sea.
See also: Russia reacts to the US takeover of the tanker. “Violation of international law”
It is not known whether US and British forces will decide to pursue tankers sailing towards Russia. When asked by The Guardian about this matter, the British Ministry of Defense announced that it would not discuss any possible plans to take over these vessels or “comment on current website reports regarding maritime traffic.”
