Vladimir Putin has reportedly ordered Russian naval ships and a submarine to escort a sanctioned Venezuelan oil tanker racing toward Russia, escalating tensions in the Atlantic as US and UK forces move to intercept the vessel.
The ageing tanker, formerly known as Bella 1 and now renamed Marinera, is accused of being part of a so-called “shadow fleet” used to evade international sanctions and transport illicit oil. The ship, which previously operated under Guyanese and Panamanian flags and is believed to be of Iranian origin, has now switched to a Russian flag and reappeared about 500 miles west of Ireland after slipping away from **Donald Trump’s Venezuela blockade last month.
According to US officials cited by The Wall Street Journal, Russia has deployed naval assets, including a submarine, to shield the tanker as it heads toward Moscow, despite Kremlin claims that the vessel is “not carrying anything illegal.” Russian authorities said they are “monitoring the situation with concern” but stopped short of confirming the escort mission.
US and UK surveillance has intensified. Flight-tracking data shows a P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft dispatched toward the tanker’s last known coordinates, alongside refuelling aircraft. RAF Typhoon jets and US reconnaissance planes have also been spotted operating near the vessel’s route, while US cargo aircraft carrying special forces helicopters have arrived at RAF Fairford in preparation for a possible boarding operation.
A US defence source said, “You can’t really hide what is happening. There is credible open-source reporting of a surge of US activity at RAF Fairford,” adding that troops were “staging” for a potential hostile seizure.
The tanker had earlier been tracked in the Caribbean, where the US Coast Guard attempted to board it amid suspicions it was carrying Iranian oil destined for Venezuela. After that failed interception, the ship dramatically altered course and now appears to be heading for the Russian port of Murmansk.
US officials told CBS News that Washington’s preference is to seize the vessel rather than sink it. “Final approval has not yet been given,” one official said, but added that the operation could take place “as soon as this week,” mirroring last month’s helicopter-borne assault on another sanctioned tanker.
The chase comes as Washington tightens pressure on Venezuela’s oil exports, the country’s main economic lifeline. Since Trump announced a “total and complete blockade” of sanctioned Venezuelan oil shipments in December, more than a dozen tankers are said to have fled using deceptive tactics such as falsified tracking data, fake ship names, and operating in “dark mode.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has described the blockade as “one of the largest in modern history,” warning that it is “paralysing” the Maduro regime’s ability to raise cash.
If US forces successfully seize the Marinera, it would become the third Venezuelan-linked oil tanker captured since September, a move likely to further inflame an already volatile standoff involving Washington, Moscow, and Caracas.
