US Seizes Russian Oil Tanker in Breach of Maritime Law, Russia Reports Loss of Contact

Kathmandu, Jan 8 – US forces have seized the Russian-flagged oil tanker vessel ‘MV Bella 1’, also known as the ‘Marinera’, in international waters. The US European Command (EUCOM) shared this information via X (Twitter) last Wednesday, stating that the ship was seized on charges of violating US sanctions.

In response, the Russian Transport Ministry also confirmed on Wednesday that it had lost contact with the vessel, accusing the US of violating maritime law. According to Al Jazeera, the Russian ministry stated in a public release, “Under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, freedom of navigation applies in international waters, and no state has the right to use force against vessels duly registered under the jurisdiction of other states.”

EUCOM, quoted by Al Jazeera, stated that the vessel was tracked and seized in the North Atlantic based on a warrant issued by a US federal court. The operation was assisted by the US Coast Guard vessel ‘USCGC Munro’. According to Xinhua News, the ‘Munro’ is a Legend-class national security cutter designed for long-range, high-level missions.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has also stated that it is closely monitoring the incident and has urged the US to treat all Russian nationals on board humanely and not to hinder their prompt return. This was mentioned in a statement quoted by the state news agency TASS.

According to information from Xinhua, the tanker was unable to dock to load oil in Venezuela due to the US blockade. After being tracked by the US Coast Guard in December, this empty tanker painted a Russian flag on its hull, changed its name, and also changed its country of registration to Russia. Despite being approximately 4,000 kilometers away from the US coast, the vessel had been tracked by a US Coast Guard ship for many days.

This incident has increased tensions regarding maritime law and the authority to enforce sanctions in international waters. Russia has strongly opposed the US action and indicated that it will take steps at the diplomatic level as well.