The vessel, called the Bella-1, was boarded by U.S. forces in a joint operation with the United Kingdom's military around 7 a.m. EST. It was sailing under a Russian flag in international waters between Scotland and Iceland, reportedly escorted by a Russian submarine.
Russia's transport ministry said Wednesday: "No state has the right to use force against vessels duly registered in the jurisdictions of other states."
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) raised concerns about what comes next.
"I think there are a lot of questions about whether this seizure may raise the prospect of hostilities beyond what's happened already," he told reporters.
Moscow had been a key ally of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's regime. Both countries have relied heavily on a "dark fleet" of oil tankers that take various measures to dodge global sanctions to keep oil moving from pariah states.
The U.S. initially began its pursuit of the Bella-1 in mid-December, amid a broader campaign to halt sanctioned ships moving Venezuelan oil. Moscow confirmed Tuesday that it began flying Russia's flag Dec. 24, in the middle of that pursuit.
The U.S. also boarded a sanctioned tanker near the Caribbean on Wednesday morning, bringing the total number of seized tankers in recent months to four.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt during a Wednesday briefing did not respond directly to a question about whether the seizure risks a larger conflict with Russia. She said the crew of the Bella-1 may be prosecuted in the U.S., adding the U.S. was now escorting the ship for "final disposition."
Russia's Foreign Ministry, in a statement released to the state-owned news agency Tass, called on the U.S. to "ensure humane and dignified treatment" of Russian citizens on board.
The Bella-1 disappeared from radars that track tankers for about two weeks before reappearing Jan. 2, heading northeast in the North Atlantic Ocean, according to The New York Times. It's unclear exactly where the vessel was heading, but its course could have sent it around Scandinavia to a Russian Arctic port.
The U.S. ignored Russia's request to stop chasing the ship after it claimed Russian protection. The Coast Guard first stopped the ship Dec. 20 as it was headed to the Caribbean, claiming it had a seizure warrant, but the Bella-1 refused to be boarded and sailed away.
The U.S. military dispatched a Navy P-8 submarine-hunting aircraft and AC-130 gunships to support the Coast Guard on Wednesday, according to the Times.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday's seizure showed the "blockade of sanctioned and illicit Venezuelan oil remains in FULL EFFECT — anywhere in the world."
Read the full report at thehill.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment