U. S. Army personnel have boarded the Russian oil tanker Marinera, according to information obtained on January 7 by Fox News journalist Lucas Tomlinson from sources within government circles.

The operation took place in the waters between Iceland and the British Isles. The vessel, previously known as Bella-1, had recently changed its flag and was re-registered as Russian, Tomlinson reported, citing his sources.

The U. S. European Command later officially confirmed the detention of the tanker, stating that it was suspected of violating American sanctions. The maritime operation involved the U. S. Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security, which acted in coordination with the Pentagon.

According to the U.S. military, the tanker was detained in the northern part of the Atlantic Ocean on the basis of a federal court warrant.

The incident was also addressed by U. S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who indicated that the global enforcement of restrictions on sanctioned Venezuelan oil remains unchanged.

Earlier media reports suggested that Russia may have dispatched a submarine and several naval vessels to escort the Marinera.

The Russian Foreign Ministry expressed concern over the situation, emphasizing that the tanker was operating in international waters of the North Atlantic and was fully compliant with international maritime law. The ministry also pointed to what it described as excessive and unjustified attention to the vessel from the U.S. military and the North Atlantic Alliance.