According to Russia’s Ministry of Transport, the US Navy carried out a boarding operation on the tanker “Marinera” in an area of the high seas that does not belong to any state’s territorial waters. This was reported by podrobno.uz reports .
The ministry said that after US military personnel boarded, contact with the vessel was lost.
It is noted that “Marinera” received temporary permission on December 24, 2025 to sail under the state flag of the Russian Federation. It was emphasized that the document was issued in accordance with Russian law and international legal norms.
The Russian side recalled that under the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, the regime of freedom of navigation applies on the high seas. Under it, no state has the right to use force against vessels duly registered under another state’s jurisdiction.
The UK Ministry of Defence, for its part, said it provided assistance in the operation to seize the royal tanker at the request of the US government.
No additional information has yet been provided about the incident details or the crew’s whereabouts.
Earlier, reports circulated that the US was conducting a large-scale operation to detain and possibly arrest an oil tanker allegedly linked to deliveries of Venezuelan crude and suspected of violating US sanctions. Against the backdrop of Russia’s involvement and Washington’s tougher policy toward Venezuela’s oil sector, the situation is drawing international attention.
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