Russia stated that U.S. had no right to detain Russian-flagged tanker Bella-1
The Russian Ministry of Transport stated that the US had no right to detain the Marinera tanker, also known as Bella-1, which was sailing in the Atlantic Ocean under the Russian flag.
This is stated in a statement by the ministry, as reported by Censor.NET.
The reaction of Russians
"No state has the right to use force against ships that are duly registered in the jurisdictions of other states," the Russian ministry said.
They specified that on January 7, US military personnel boarded the Marinera vessel on the high seas and lost contact with it.
The Russian Federation recalled that on December 24, 2025, the Marinera vessel received temporary permission to sail under the national flag of the Russian Federation, and in accordance with the provisions of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, freedom of navigation applies in the open sea.
What preceded it
- We remind you that on January 7, the United States seized the oil tanker Marinera, which is linked to Venezuela.
- On December 30, it became known that the Russian flag had been carelessly painted on the ship, apparently in an attempt to seek protection from Moscow. And on the 31st, the tanker was officially renamed from Bella 1 to Marinera and registered in Russia. Its port of registry is Sochi.
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The Russian government has sent an official diplomatic note to the US requesting that it stop pursuing the oil tanker Bella 1, which was heading to Venezuela and is now fleeing from the US Coast Guard in the Atlantic Ocean. Moscow has stated that the ship is currently sailing under the Russian flag.
