NAIROBI, Kenya- Russia has deployed a submarine and other naval vessels to escort an oil tanker being pursued by U.S. authorities in the North Atlantic, in a move that marks a notable escalation in maritime tensions between Moscow and Washington.
The tanker at the centre of the standoff, formerly known as Bella 1 and now renamed Marinera, is being chased by the U.S. Coast Guard after it evaded American efforts to seize it off the coast of Venezuela in December 2025.
U.S. officials obtained a federal warrant to arrest the vessel, which they say was linked to transporting oil in violation of sanctions.
After the initial pursuit in the Caribbean, the vessel’s crew painted a Russian flag on the hull and registered it in Russia, complicating legal grounds for seizure under international maritime law.
It is currently being tracked in the North Atlantic, reportedly hundreds of miles south of Iceland, as it heads toward Russian waters.
BREAKING:Wall Street Journal reports that Russia has sent a submarine and other naval assets to try to stop the U.S. from boarding and seizing the Iranian-linked and sanctioned crude oil tanker Bella 1, which recently became the Russian-flagged vessel Marinera.🇺🇸🇻🇪🇮🇷🇷🇺
In response, Moscow dispatched a submarine and at least one other naval vessel to escort the tanker, according to reporting from The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.
A U.S. official told the WSJ that the move could provoke a confrontation, highlighting the potential geopolitical stakes of enforcing sanctions at sea.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has said it is monitoring the situation “with concern,” while U.S. forces continue to shadow the tanker with Coast Guard cutters and surveillance aircraft.
Experts say Russia’s acceptance of the tanker under its flag, without standard inspections, further complicates the legal and diplomatic environment of the pursuit.
The incident comes amid broader efforts by the United States to intercept sanctioned vessels involved in transporting oil linked to Venezuela and Iran, part of a campaign to enforce sanctions and restrict revenue streams for regimes targeted by U.S. policy.
Analysts warn that the deployment of naval assets to protect the vessel could heighten the risk of direct confrontation on the high seas and underscores how maritime law, enforcement actions, and geopolitical rivalries intersect in the context of sanctions and energy trade.
