U.S. Military Seizes Russian-Flagged Tanker
On Wednesday, the U.S. military intercepted a Russian-flagged tanker and targeted a network of vessels supporting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s military efforts. Reports indicate that a Navy SEAL and a U.S. Army special operations pilot, referred to as the “Night Stalker,” boarded the tanker, named Marinera, after receiving a briefing on the mission. This happened approximately 300 kilometers off the coast of Iceland, according to MarineTraffic data. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem mentioned that the Coast Guard Cutter Munro had been tracking the ship for weeks across the Atlantic, with help from British bases and aerial monitoring.
The tanker had previously evaded a U.S. blockade near Venezuela last month but later altered its appearance by repainting its hull with the Russian flag and re-registering as Marinera. Richard Meade, editor-in-chief of Lloyd’s List Intelligence, highlighted that Marinera, which was labeled as a crucial asset of the Shadow Fleet, had been sanctioned by the U.S. back in June 2024. He noted that this fleet operates out of various locations, including Iran, Russia, and Venezuela, often under false pretenses and without proper insurance.
The so-called Shadow Fleet consists of older tankers engaged in smuggling oil to countries facing sanctions like Russia and Venezuela. According to reports, these vessels commonly disguise or falsify their locations and conduct ship-to-ship transfers at sea to obscure their cargo origins.
International Maritime Organization records indicate that Marinera is owned by Brevest Marine LLC, based in Russia’s Ryazan region. An analysis from Kyiv Economic University revealed that in November alone, around 173 tankers linked to the Shadow Fleet left Russian ports, engaging in ship-to-ship transfers. In a separate incident, last October, France intercepted a vessel believed to be part of this fleet, resulting in the captain’s arrest.
White House press secretary Caroline Levitt described Marinera as a “Venezuelan shadow fleet ship carrying sanctioned oil,” while also noting that authorities might consider the vessel “stateless” due to its deceptive flag. It’s possible that the crew could face legal actions. In response, Russia’s Foreign Ministry condemned the seizure, claiming it violated international maritime law. Interestingly, Putin had yet to address the incident or the U.S. detention of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
On the same day, U.S. Southern Command reported another operation, announcing the capture of M/T Sophia in the Caribbean, which was found to be carrying about two million barrels of Venezuelan crude oil, according to Emmanuel Belostorino from analytics firm Kpler.
