By Ellen Milligan and Alex Wickham
US forces are attempting to seize a Venezuela-linked, Russia-flagged ship in the north Atlantic that’s been at the center of a dramatic sea chase across the ocean, according to people familiar with the matter.
The operation at the tanker — now named the Marinera — is ongoing, the people said, who asked not to be identified discussing security operations.
It’s the latest development in a nautical hunt that’s involved the US coast guard as well as American and UK surveillance aircraft. Unverified videos published by Russian media outlet RT showed at least one MH-6 Little Bird helicopter, which is used by US special operations forces, flying near the Marinera.
The tanker, sailing through waters between Iceland and Scotland, changed direction just before noon UK time on Wednesday, according to vessel tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. Having been sailing northeast, it moved southeast. It also slowed down slightly — to around 8.5 knots — from 9.2 earlier in the day. It’s not known if that was due to the actions of the US.
The US Defense Department didn’t respond to requests for comment on the operation, which was earlier reported by Reuters.
The drama began last month when the tanker evaded a US naval blockade around Venezuela, designed to disrupt the illicit oil trade. Since then, it’s been chased by the US Coast Guard through the Caribbean Sea and into the Atlantic. It changed its flag to Russia during that time, a move likely intended to seek protection.
Asked about any US operation to intercept the ship, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s spokesman, Tom Wells, told reporters in London that “we don’t comment on the operational activity of other nations, including third-party use of UK bases.”
He also declined to say whether the UK is involved in anyway.
— With assistance from Alex Longley and Julian Lee
