Russia Demands U.S. Release Crew of Tanker Seized in International Waters

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs demanded this Wednesday that the United States respect the rights of Russian citizens aboard the oil tanker Marinera and ordered the immediate return of the crew to their country, following the seizure of the vessel by U.S. forces.

Moscow labeled the action a violation of international maritime law and an assault on the freedom of navigation recognized by the international community.

In a statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry asserted that the confiscation of the ship, sailing under the Russian flag, constitutes a clear infringement of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). This convention establishes the freedom of transit on the high seas and that no state may use force against vessels lawfully registered under the jurisdiction of another country.

It denounced that "the Russian vessel, for reasons incomprehensible to us, is receiving excessive and disproportionate attention from the U.S. and NATO military... We hope that Western countries, which declare their commitment to freedom of navigation on the high seas, will begin to focus on themselves when implementing this principle."

In this context, the Russian Ministry of Transport cited the norms of UNCLOS, according to which the regime of freedom of navigation applies in international waters and "no state has the right to use force against ships duly registered under the jurisdictions of other states."

Russia denounced the U.S. action as an act of "open piracy" and emphasized that the situation in which U.S. forces boarded the Marinera in international waters, outside any sovereign territorial limits, is contrary to prevailing international law. It also insisted on guarantees of humane treatment and the prompt repatriation of the affected Russian citizens.

The vessel, formerly known as Bella 1, had previously managed to evade a U.S. naval blockade in the Caribbean, part of Washington's pressure campaign against Venezuela.

Following the seizure—applauded by the Kiev regime and with support from a UK operation—White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said this Wednesday that the crew of the intercepted tanker in the North Atlantic could be transferred to the United States for prosecution. Russia has emphasized that the ship sailed under its flag and its crew consists of citizens of Russia, Ukraine, and Georgia, reinforcing the civilian character of the vessel, which was traveling empty.

Moscow's demand comes amid escalating tensions following a military operation against the South American country on January 3, in which U.S. forces kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife in Caracas, transporting them to New York to face unsubstantiated drug trafficking charges. That action has been widely criticized by various countries and international actors for violating the United Nations Charter, international law, and Venezuela's sovereignty.

Russian authorities warned that the unilateral use of force aimed at controlling the strategic resources—such as oil—of other states constitutes a serious threat to the international legal order.

On Tuesday, the Russian company BurevestMarin had denounced the U.S. attempt to intercept the Marinera in the North Atlantic during a storm.

"Our civilian vessel, which is not carrying any cargo and is sailing in ballast, has been pursued for a long time by the U.S. Coast Guard," the company communicated, adding that despite *"repeated attempts by the captain to communicate the identity and civilian nature of the vessel flying the Russian flag, the pursuit continues with coordinated aerial surveillance by U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft."*

Since August of last year, the United States has intensified a broad campaign of political, economic, and military pressure against Venezuela, aiming to weaken the nation and advance control over its natural resources.

Various actions deployed in the Caribbean, including military operations, blockades, and confiscations, are part of a strategy intended to appropriate the energy wealth of the South American country, particularly its oil.