UK Forces Back Dramatic US Tanker Seizure at Sea
UK armed forces backed a dramatic US tanker seizure in the Atlantic. Learn 5 key facts about shadow fleets, oil sanctions, and maritime security risks.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said British armed forces helped the US military seize a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the North Atlantic on Wednesday.
The tanker, linked to Venezuela and previously known as Bella 1, was intercepted by the US Coast Guard while sailing north in waters between Iceland and Scotland.
The MoD said the US had requested assistance from the UK, and an RAF surveillance aircraft and a Royal Navy support ship, RFA Tideforce, participated in the operation.
Defence Secretary John Healey said the action was taken "in full compliance with international law," and added that Britain "will not tolerate increasing malign activity on the high seas."
In a statement to MPs on Tuesday, explaining why Britain was involved in the operation, Healey said the government was "stepping up activity against suspicious vessels."
In a post on X, the US military's European Command thanked the MoD for its "unwavering support" during the operation.
A Downing Street spokesperson said Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer discussed the joint operation, as well as recent talks on Ukraine and US operations in Venezuela, with President Trump in a phone call on Wednesday evening.
In a brief statement, the spokesperson said the PM "clarified his position on Greenland" during the call – the first between the two leaders since the US military seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro over the weekend.
On Tuesday, Sir Keir said only Greenland and Denmark should decide the future of the territory, after Trump reiterated his threats to seize it.
The Marinera is accused of being part of a suspected fleet carrying oil for Venezuela, Russia, and Iran, and of violating US sanctions.
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The US Coast Guard had a warrant to seize the vessel and had attempted to board the tanker in the Caribbean last month. But the tanker dramatically changed course, changed its name, and re-registered as a Russian vessel, and the US has been tracking it for two weeks.
Healey said: “By helping our American allies remove this vessel from the seas, we are protecting the British people and our country.”
He said the ship had a long history of “nefarious activities” linked to Russia and Iran, and that Iran was a “constant threat” to Britain. Healey said the vessel, which has been under US sanctions since 2024, had carried 7.3 million barrels of oil on behalf of Iran, “the proceeds of which have been used to finance terrorism, intimidation and instability around the world”.
He also said this shadow fleet was “absolutely vital to Putin’s ongoing illegal invasion and war in Ukraine”.
Shadow fleets, or ghost fleets, are becoming increasingly common, and Venezuela, Iran and Russia have all been accused of using them to circumvent oil sanctions.
Financial intelligence firm S&P Global estimates that one in five oil tankers worldwide is used to smuggle oil from sanctioned countries. These vessels are often older tankers and use false flags to avoid detection.
Healey praised the “courage” of the US forces in the operation, and said no UK personnel were involved in boarding the vessel.
The seizure of the Marinera comes after the US said it had seized the M/T Sofia, another tanker linked to Venezuela, in the Caribbean – and just days after a military operation to remove President Nicolás Maduro from power in Caracas.
In a statement, the MoD said the Marinera was also suspected of being involved in illicit activities linked to the Lebanese-based terrorist group Hezbollah. It said: "The vessel, which was initially flying a false flag, turned off its transponder at sea and attempted to change flags again while being pursued."
Moscow has condemned the seizure of the tanker sailing under its flag and demanded that the US treat the Russians on board properly and allow them to return to Russia quickly.
The Transport Ministry said it had granted the vessel "temporary permission" to use the Russian flag and stated that no country has the right to use force against properly registered vessels in the jurisdiction of other countries.
Reports suggested that Russia had sent a submarine to protect the vessel, but it appears the US military managed to board the tanker without encountering any resistance.
The seizure of the two tankers was announced by the US military in separate posts on social media on Wednesday.
Experts told Verify that under UN international maritime law, authorities can board a stateless vessel.
Senator Marco Rubio said that the Venezuelan leadership is cooperating with the US regarding the second tanker seized in the Caribbean. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said that "in two operations before dawn this morning, the Coast Guard conducted two separate, very carefully coordinated boardings of two 'ghost fleet' tanker vessels."
She added that both seized vessels "had either recently docked in Venezuela or were en route there."
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