The United States carried out an operation to detain the tanker Marinera in the Atlantic Ocean, which is sailing under the Russian flag. Two representatives of the U.S. authorities told NBC News this.
One of the sources clarified that the vessel is already under U.S. control. The operation was conducted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, with the support of the American Armed Forces, including the Coast Guard.
The Russian Ministry of Transport clarified that on December 24, 2025, the vessel "Marinera" received temporary authorization to sail under the state flag of Russia, issued on the basis of Russian legislation and norms of international law.
Today at about 3 p.m. Moscow time, on the high seas outside the territorial waters of any states, U.S. naval forces boarded the vessel, and contact with the vessel was lost.
The ministry added that in accordance with the norms of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, in waters on the high seas the regime of freedom of navigation applies, and no state has the right to use force against vessels properly registered in the jurisdictions of other states.
There are Russian citizens on board the tanker Marinera detained by the American military, the Foreign Ministry noted.
The ministry said it had taken the incident under control and had already contacted the competent U.S. authorities through consular channels. The Russian side sent an official request regarding the legal status of the detained sailors and the conditions of their detention.
Read more materials on the topic:
- BBC: Russia sent a Navy submarine to protect a tanker being pursued by the Americans
- The aircraft carrier "Admiral Kuznetsov" was given a new role — protecting tankers
- "Ivan Aivazovsky" set out on its voyage: the first Russian MR dual-fuel tanker was built at the Zvezda shipyard
