Russia Escorts Venezuelan Linked Tanker Amid U.S. Pursuit
Russia has sent a submarine and other naval assets to escort an oil tanker that the U.S. has been pursuing for its links to Venezuelan oil trade, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The U.S. Coast Guard began tracking the vessel in December as it attempted to load Venezuelan oil following President Donald Trump’s order of a “total and complete blockade” on tankers entering or leaving the country.
After the vessel’s crew repelled a U.S. boarding attempt, they painted a Russian flag on the ship, renamed it Marinera, and switched its registration to Russia, a move experts say was likely intended to avoid interception by U.S. forces.
On Tuesday, Russian state media outlet RT posted a video showing a U.S. Coast Guard cutter trailing the tanker. A separate post by RT claimed that the U.S. Coast Guard is attempting to intercept the “civilian vessel,” which RT said is empty and bound for Murmansk, a city in Russia.
The outlet described the pursuit as a “political stunt” and warned that boarding the vessel in stormy conditions could put lives at risk.
According to Russia’s state-owned news agency RIA, the Russian Foreign Ministry is monitoring the situation “with concern” and has asked the U.S. to halt its pursuit of the vessel.
The White House has yet to comment on the report.
Maritime tracking data shows the vessel is now heading toward the North Sea, about 300 miles south of Iceland.
Flight-tracking data shows the U.S. has been continuously monitoring the vessel with a U.S. Navy P-8A “Poseidon” maritime patrol aircraft. On Tuesday, the aircraft was spotted returning to RAF Mildenhall airbase in U.K. after what appeared to be a brief observation of the ship.
Open-source reports published Tuesday also showed videos and photos of a CV-22B “Osprey” tiltrotor aircraft conducting fast-rope and rescue training at RAF Fairford in the U.K. The reports note that the exercises appeared to be in preparation for a potential boarding operation against the Marinera.
