Russia condemns the US seizure of the tanker Marinera, citing the UN Law of the Sea. The US says it acted on a sanctions warrant.
US vs. Russia at sea: The legal and diplomatic clash over a seized oil tanker (Image: File)
MOSCOW, January 8 — Russia has strongly condemned the U.S. seizure of the oil tanker Marinera, calling the operation a violation of international maritime law and asserting the vessel was lawfully flying the Russian flag. The diplomatic clash centers on conflicting interpretations of jurisdiction on the high seas.
In a detailed statement on Telegram, Russia’s Ministry of Transport asserted the tanker Marinera (formerly the Bella 1) received a temporary permit to sail under the Russian flag on December 24, 2025. It said the boarding by U.S. naval forces occurred in international waters, outside any state's territorial jurisdiction. Citing the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the ministry stressed that “freedom of navigation applies in high seas waters, and no state has the right to use force against vessels duly registered in the jurisdictions of other states.”
U.S. European Command announced the seizure of the vessel under a warrant issued by a U.S. federal court for violations of U.S. sanctions. Authorities stated the tanker had been tracked for weeks after evading a U.S. blockade near Venezuela. According to the U.S., the ship’s history of evading sanctions and its alleged “stateless” status before reflagging cancel legal protections and justify enforcement under U.S. law.
The dispute centers on two opposing legal interpretations.
The tanker’s history deepens the rift: it was sanctioned in 2024 and later renamed and reflagged to Russia in late December 2025, a step U.S. officials view as calculated.
The episode has raised tensions further. Russia has described the move as “international piracy,” while the U.S. maintains it was legal sanctions enforcement. Russian naval units escorted the tanker before it was seized, underlining its strategic value. Diplomatic and legal disputes are expected to persist, with the issue possibly taken to international maritime forums.
A: Moscow says the Marinera was given temporary permission to sail under the Russian flag on December 24, 2025.
A: According to Russia, it was boarded in international waters (“the high seas”) outside any state’s territorial waters.
A: Moscow refers to the 1982 UNCLOS treaty, which upholds freedom of navigation and bars other states from interfering with ships on the high seas.
A: The U.S. moved under a federal court warrant tied to sanctions violations, saying the vessel’s behavior removed its legal safeguards.
A: Seizures of sanctioned vessels occur, but the forceful boarding of a recently reflagged vessel on the high seas by a rival military power is a significant escalation.
