US forces are attempting to board a sanctioned oil tanker in the Atlantic.
The US military is attempting to board the Marinera with dramatic photos showing a helicopter hovering beside it.
The tanker, now sailing under the Russian flag, was last believed to be operating between Scotland and Iceland.
It is not currently carrying oil but has a long history of transporting sanctioned Venezuelan crude and has been under sustained US surveillance for weeks.
It was revealed earlier today that Russia has deployed naval surface vessels and submarines into the North Atlantic to protect the Marinera.
The operation to board and seize the Russian flagged vessel Bella 1, also known as Marinera, is now underway – Reuters reports.
Flight logs also indicate that a Boeing Poseidon MRA1 has left RAF Lossiemouth and several US Air Force Pilatus U-28A Draco have left Wick with a destination of Reykjavik.
US officials told the Reuters news agency that the operation is being carried out by the Coast Guard and US military.
As LBC reported yesterday, American officials have confirmed US forces are preparing to board the vessel and would prefer to seize it rather than sink it. The tanker’s sudden Russian naval escort appears designed to deter that move.
The ship was formerly known as Bella 1.
The owner of the Marinera was previously sanctioned in 2024.
Louis Marine Shipholding Enterprises SA, a Turkey-based company, was accused of having links to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) by the Biden administration.
A public notice issued by US officials said the company had moved goods on behalf of the Quds Force, the IRGC’s overseas operations arm. The division supports armed groups allied with Iran around the Middle East, including the Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Credit to : LBC