The Russian-flagged oil tanker Bella 1, which was later identified as Marinera, was intercepted this Wednesday (7) by the US after evading American radars for weeks amid the blockade ordered by President Donald Trump in December in Venezuela.
In a statement, authorities in Washington reported that the Coast Guard approached the ship in the North Atlantic, after it managed to evade inspection in recent weeks. In the note, the US claims to have “seized” the vessel during the sensitive military operation.
An officer familiar with the matter told The New York Times that there was no resistance from the crew during the approach.
Russia even sent at least one warship to intercept it and escort it back to the country, according to an American official briefed on the operation, however at the time of the American action there were no Moscow vessels in the vicinity of the tanker, thus avoiding the possibility of a direct confrontation between American and Russian forces, concluded two American officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to the Times.
