The energy and geopolitical conflict between Russia and the United States has added a new and explosive chapter on the high seas.
Moscow denounced on Wednesday what it described as an "illegal interception" of the tanker Marinera, which was sailing under the Russian flag in international waters when it was boarded by the U.S. Coast Guard.
According to the Russian government, the action constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and raises tensions between the two powers to a new level.
The interdiction of the vessel, carried out in the North Atlantic, occurred after more than two weeks of pursuit by U.S. forces.
The vessel, formerly known as Bella 1, was reported to allegedly be part of a network transporting sanctioned oil from Venezuela as part of U.S. campaigns to block oil revenues from governments deemed hostile.
Russia accuses the U.S. of violating freedom of navigation
The official reaction from Moscow did not take long to arrive. The Russian Ministry of Transport issued a statement denouncing that the boarding of the Marinera occurred “in open sea, outside the limits of the territorial waters of any State”, in direct violation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, signed in 1982.
“Today, around 3:00 PM Moscow time, in open waters, US naval forces boarded the vessel. Subsequently, communication with the ship was lost,” the ministry stated.
The statement added that the vessel had received, on December 24, 2025, a "temporary permit to sail under the state flag of the Russian Federation," granted in accordance with national legislation and international law standards.
Under these conditions, the Russian government emphasized, no state has the right to use force against a ship properly registered under the jurisdiction of another country.
Russian Foreign Ministry: "Disproportionate attention to a civilian vessel"
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also reacted strongly to the U.S. operation. In a statement, it described the situation surrounding the Marinera as "abnormal," noting that it was sailing under the Russian flag in international waters according to maritime law.
"For reasons incomprehensible to us, the militaries of the United States and NATO are giving excessive and disproportionate attention to their status as a civilian vessel," denounced Russian diplomacy.
The Ministry added that the vessel had been pursued for several days by the U.S. Coast Guard, and warned that such actions contradict the West's rhetoric on the defense of freedom of navigation.
"We hope that the Western countries, which declare their commitment to freedom of navigation on the high seas, will ensure the adherence to this principle by themselves," concluded the statement.
The ship Marinera, a key player in the energy war
The history of the Marinera is more complex than a simple clash of flags.
The oil tanker, linked to crude oil transportation operations sanctioned from Venezuela and Iran, was the subject of an initial capture attempt by the U.S. in December 2025, in Caribbean waters.
During the chase, the crew performed a series of evasive maneuvers: they painted a Russian flag on the hull, changed the name of the ship, and altered its registration to appear in the Russian registry.
According to U.S. officials quoted by The New York Times, the boarding was ultimately carried out without resistance. The crew offered no force, and no Russian vessels were spotted in the vicinity at the time of the operation.
But behind the Marinera, Moscow had deployed a silent military operation.
According to The Wall Street Journal and agencies such as Reuters, the Russian Navy was escorting the tanker with at least one nuclear submarine and several warships while demanding that Washington abandon its pursuit.
According to Argentine journalist Nacho Montes de Oca, the Russian submarine reportedly escorted the Marinera south to Iceland and into the North Sea.
"Traveling empty, without a tangible load, already turned into a political symbol of the challenge to the U.S. blockade," wrote Montes de Oca on the social network X.
The U.S. intensifies its campaign against ship interdictions on the high seas
The approach to Marinera is not an isolated event. It is part of a global maritime offensive led by the government of Donald Trump to neutralize oil trade by sanctioned regimes.
This would be the third operation of this kind carried out since December by Southern Command, according to European defense sources cited by The Guardian.
Shortly after the capture of the Marinera was confirmed, the U.S. announced a fourth interdiction on another vessel in the Caribbean, also linked to the so-called "ghost fleet" that transports Venezuelan oil and seeks to evade sanctions through flag changes and fictitious registrations.
These operations occur at a time when the White House has intensified pressure on the Venezuelan government following the capture of Nicolás Maduro, who is now detained in New York and facing charges of narcoterrorism.
The interdiction of vessels linked to the Caracas regime is presented by Washington as a strategy of economic strangulation, although multiple countries—including Russia—view it as an act of modern piracy.
Reactions and Consequences: A New Front of Conflict
The incident with the Marinera not only tests the limits of international maritime law but also reflects how the economic war between major powers has moved to the ocean, with significant strategic implications.
The presence of a Russian nuclear submarine in the Atlantic, amidst a U.S. operation, raised alarms within NATO, although the bloc avoided direct involvement.
However, the message from Moscow was clear: the protection of its energy interests may include military force if deemed necessary.
From Washington's perspective, the seizure of the Marinera is part of a maximum pressure policy against Maduro's allies and the illicit oil trade networks that sustain sanctioned regimes.
For Moscow, this is a provocation that undermines international legal order and could have consequences on multiple fronts, from the Atlantic to the Middle East.
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