&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Russia sends submarine to shadow oil tanker chased by US near Venezuela | Watch")
Amid Washington-Caracas tensions, Russia has reportedly sent a submarine to escort an empty rusting oil tanker that was attempting to evade the United States blockade of sanctioned vessels near Venezuela. According to reports, America was trying to intercept the vessel, previously known as Bella 1, now named Marinera. The vessel bound for Russia's Murmansk was scheduled to dock in Venezuela for an oil load but was instead chased into the Atlantic by the United States Coast Guard, according to The Wall Street Journal. Thus, it was empty.
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What happened?
Russia reportedly dispatched a submarine to shadow an ageing oil tanker being pursued by the United States near Venezuela. The tanker, which failed to dock in Venezuela to load crude, was instead chased into the Atlantic by the US Coast Guard. Though the ship was empty, US authorities continued tracking it as part of a broader campaign to disrupt fleets moving sanctioned oil, including black market crude linked to Russia.
Previously, in December, the tanker's crew reportedly blocked a US attempt to board the vessel and altered course into open waters. As the pursuit continued, the ship's operators took unusual steps. The tanker was renamed Marinera, painted a Russian flag on its hull, and re-registered under Russian ownership.
Now, according to US officials cited by the Journal, Moscow asked Washington to stop pursuing the vessel and sent a submarine to escort it. Russia's foreign ministry, as cited by state news agency RIA said it was monitoring the situation "with concern," while state media outlet RT published video footage it claimed showed a US Coast Guard cutter trailing the tanker.
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US ready to stand against sanctioned vessels
The US Southern Command, meanwhile, said it stood ready to "stand against sanctioned vessels and actors" travelling through the region. Tracking data cited by WSJ shows the Marinera sailing roughly 300 miles south of Iceland, heading toward the North Sea, with the US Coast Guard still following it.
RT also said that the US was trying to intercept the tanker despite its "clear civilian status".
