A Venezuelan-linked oil tanker, the Marinera, which was recently seized by US forces, has been sighted off the Moray Firth in Scotland, almost a week after its capture in the North Atlantic. The operation to intercept the vessel, previously known as Bella-1, involved significant British military assets and underscores escalating global efforts to disrupt illicit oil trade.
The Marinera was intercepted by US forces last Wednesday (January 7), while travelling north-eastwards through waters between Iceland and Scotland. The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed that Royal Air Force (RAF) surveillance aircraft and the naval supply ship RFA Tideforce provided “enabling support” to the US operation.
The seizure forms part of a broader, intensified US pressure campaign against Venezuela.
US officials have since stated the vessel was operating without a legitimate flag when initially approached, rendering it effectively stateless and subject to interdiction under a federal court warrant for sanctions violations.
The capture of the vessel could prove a new flashpoint in relations between the West and Moscow, whose transport ministry appeared to suggest the international law of the sea had been breached.
In Case You Missed it:
China has also criticised the US, stating that the seizure of foreign vessels in international waters seriously violates international law.
The vessel was pictured berthed in the Moray Firth near Burghead, surrounded by smaller tug ships and a US Coast Guard vessel.
The precise destination for the Marinera remains undisclosed, though its previous trajectory indicated it was bound for a Russian Arctic port.
