WSJ: Russia sends submarine to protect tanker Marinera in North Atlantic

Russia has dispatched a submarine and other units of the Navy to the North Atlantic to escort and protect the tanker Marinera, which could potentially be intercepted by U.S. forces.

Russian warships were sent to meet the tanker in order to prevent its possible seizure by the United States, Caliber.Az reports, citing The Wall Street Journal.

WSJ notes that the vessel Marinera, previously known as Bella 1, has been evading pursuit off the coast of Venezuela for 17 days. During this time, the tanker has covered a considerable distance and is currently reported to be near the coasts of Iceland and the United Kingdom.

The Marinera was previously flagged out of Panama and was sanctioned for its prior alleged involvement in Iranian oil trading by the Treasury Department in 2024 under former President Joe Biden, according to the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control. Now the ship is sailing under the Russian flag.

On January 6, CBS News reported that the United States planned to intercept the sanctioned tanker, a vessel historically used to transport Venezuelan crude oil. 

Since last month, U.S. forces have pursued the Marinera as the U.S. continues its pressure campaign against Venezuela. Since September, the United States has steadily turned the screws, accusing former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's government of using multiple vessels to move drugs north toward American shores.

By Khagan Isayev