The United States military said it has seized the Russian-flagged oil tanker in the North Atlantic for sanctions violations, bringing an end to a multi-week pursuit by US forces.
The seizure of the ship, which evaded being boarded near Venezuela, was a joint operation between the Department of Homeland Security and US military personnel, the US European Command, which is responsible for the region, said in a post on X.
The UK’s Ministry of Defence said it had provided support to the US operation, including Royal Air Force surveillance.
The department insisted the support was “in full compliance with international law”.
In a post on X, the US military’s European Command said the Trump administration had seized the vessel for violating US sanctions.
“The blockade of sanctioned and illicit Venezuelan oil remains in FULL EFFECT – anywhere in the world,” US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in reply to that post.
US officials said Russian military vessels were in the general vicinity of the operation, including a Russian submarine. It was unclear how close the vessels were to the operation, but there were no indications of a confrontation between US and Russian military forces.
While being pursued by the US Coast Guard, the vessel had switched its registration to Russia, changed its name to the Marinera and the tanker’s crew reportedly painted a Russian flag on the tanker.
Tracking data from MarineTraffic had showed that the tanker was nearing Iceland’s exclusive economic zone today.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth arrives for an all-Senate briefing on Venezuela at the US Capitol
The vessel thwarted an attempt by the US Coast Guard to board it late last month as it neared Venezuela.
A senior Russian lawmaker from the ruling United Russia party, Andrei Klishas, said the US seizure of the tanker was an act of outright piracy, the TASS state news agency reported.
Russia’s transport ministry said it had lost all contact with the vessel after US naval forces boarded it.
Russia’s foreign ministry said yesterday it was “following with concern” the pursuit of the tanker.
The ministry told state-run media prior to reports of the escort that the vessel was sailing under the Russian flag and was far from the US coast.
“For reasons unclear to us, the Russian vessel is receiving heightened attention from the US and NATO militaries – attention that is clearly disproportionate to its peaceful status,” the ministry said earlier.
Satellite data from earlier this week showed the Marinera around 400km west of Ireland, travelling north, outside the State’s Exclusive Economic Zone.
The US military has also announced the seizure of a sanctioned tanker in the Caribbean.
Tánaiste Simon Harris yesterday said he was not aware whether permission was sought by the United States for its military to fly over Ireland to monitor the oil tanker.
The Tánaiste said that there are “clear rules” in relation to other jurisdictions accessing Irish air space and he believed those rules were followed.
Report requested on access to Irish airspace – McEntee
Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee has asked officials for a report to ensure there was no breach of an agreement on access to Irish airspace during US monitoring of the now seized Russian oil tanker.
Speaking at Stormont in Belfast this afternoon, Ms McEntee said she received assurances from the US Embassy in Dublin that there had been no breach of an agreed protocol granting US aircraft access to Irish airspace.
“There is a long standing legal agreement between Ireland and the US. It stands since 1959 and unless there are weapons on board a ship or there is an operation in place, then there is no agreement or prior sign off that is needed,” she said.
“We’ve been in touch with the US embassy, and they’ve assured us that they have complied with the 1959 agreement.
“But I have asked my officials to engage further, to provide me with a full report on that, and it’s important that I see that – what it is for them to make sure that they comply with the agreement – and they’ve been very clear that they have complied with that agreement,” Minister McEntee added.
Retired Naval Commander Tony Geraghty described the oil tanker as “an enormous ship”.
He said it measures around the length of three football pitches and is the same width.
He said the vessel is believed to currently be “in ballast,” meaning it is not carrying any cargo.
Mr Geraghty said that two things had been going on in the last 48 hours.
He said there has been a “general surveillance” of the tanker in the Atlantic, which had involved Ireland, and the UK.
“But predominantly there has been a lot of anti-submarine warfare aircraft out in that area as well.
“So that may tie in with the reports that came in this morning as well about Russia deploying a submarine and a surface asset to the area.”
Venezuelan oil
The developments are the latest in US President Donald Trump’s crackdown on sanctioned oil tankers going to and from Venezuela.
The tanker had been en route to Venezuela but was not carrying cargo before it evaded the US blockade.
It has been under US sanctions since 2024 over alleged ties to Iran and Hezbollah.
Russia sent “a submarine and other naval assets” to escort the tanker, the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday, citing unnamed US officials.
The developments are the latest in US President Donald Trump’s crackdown on sanctioned oil tankers
Reuters said the US Coast Guard separately intercepted another Venezuela-linked tanker in Latin American waters.
US President Trump said this week that Venezuela will hand over tens of millions of barrels of oil to the United States, just days after a US raid toppled the country’s anti-American president, leaving a more cooperative leader in charge.
It was not immediately clear whether Venezuela’s new ruler – interim president Delcy Rodriguez – had agreed to hand over the oil, how the plan would work, or what its legal basis would be.
Last Saturday, US special forces snatched president Nicolas Maduro and his wife from Caracas and whisked them to New York to face trial on drug charges.
Since then, Mr Trump has said that the United States will “run” Venezuela and US companies will control its oil.
Additional reporting Jackie Fox and Conor Macauley