Russia, U.S., and the Sanctioned Marinera Tanker Near Venezuela
Reports say Russia allegedly escorted the sanctioned tanker Marinera as the U.S. sought to detain it near Venezuela, amid scrutiny of the so-called shadow fleet.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Russia allegedly dispatched a submarine along with other naval vessels to accompany the tanker Marinera, which U.S. authorities attempted to detain off the coast of Venezuela. The report, however, remains unconfirmed: there has been no official verification of the incident, and Reuters said it was unable to obtain any comment from the Russian side.
The vessel in question previously operated under the name Bella 1. For more than two weeks, the tanker tried to break through the U.S. blockade of Venezuela but failed to enter any Venezuelan port or load crude oil. Despite remaining empty, the ship continues to be shadowed by units of the U. S. Coast Guard in the Atlantic Ocean.
Washington views the episode through the prism of its campaign against what it describes as a «shadow fleet» of tankers. U.S. officials argue that such vessels are used to move illicit oil shipments worldwide, including crude that they claim is sold by Russia through black-market channels.
The Marinera has been under U.S. sanctions since 2024. The restrictions were imposed as part of a broader effort to cut off funding for the Shiite movement Ansar Allah (the Houthis), which controls northern Yemen. It is also known that the tanker’s crew is largely made up of citizens of Russia, Ukraine, and India.