Action carried out without a UN mandate are consistent with piracy and coercive use of force in international waters
American forces have seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the North Atlantic, according to official statements and international reporting. The vessel, now known as the Marinera and previously called Bella 1, had been tracked by U.S. authorities for more than two weeks after resisting an earlier boarding attempt near the Caribbean Sea. (Reuters)
The operation was carried out under a warrant issued by a U.S. federal court and coordinated by the U.S. European Command alongside the Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security and military units. U.S. officials say the tanker was seized as part of efforts to enforce sanctions related to oil shipments. (Reuters) British forces were part of this US operation that seized the oil tanker in the Atlantic.
The tanker had initially rebuffed U.S. Coast Guard personnel attempting to board it off Venezuela late last year. It then changed course, sailed into the Atlantic and was eventually registered under the Russian flag. During its transit, it was shadowed by U.S. naval and allied aircraft. (Reuters)
Russian authorities have sharply criticised the seizure. Russia’s Transport Ministry said the vessel was operating under its flag in international waters and called the use of force a violation of maritime law, citing the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. A senior Russian lawmaker described the action as “outright piracy.” (Reuters)
The incident is nothing short of gangsterism and piracy, comes amid broader U.S. efforts to enforce illegal unilateral sanctions without a United Nations Security Council mandate, actions that have been criticised by several countries as violations of international law and maritime norms, and which opponents describe as unlawful interference with commercial shipping and akin to piracy or coercive measures not authorised under the UN Charter.
If you missed my article on this debacle, here is the link:
US Gangsterism at Sea: The Pursuit of Marinera and the Return of Gunboat Enforcement
The legal and strategic consequences of American piracy, coercive power beyond the UN Charter, and the erosion of international maritime law
The pursuit of the oil tanker Marinera marks a turning point in the use of force to police global trade. Renamed and re-flagged under Russian jurisdiction after fleeing a US-declared Venezuelan blockade, the vessel became the focus of sustained military surveillance and special operations deployments across the North Atlantic, despite the absence of any United Nations mandate. This analysis examines how sanctions enforcement has crossed into maritime coercion, how flag state protection is being openly challenged, and why the Marinera affair exposes a breakdown in the legal order governing the world’s seas. At stake is whether international shipping remains governed by law or reverts to power-backed seizure dressed as enforcement.
https://open.substack.com/pub/ggtvstreams/p/us-gangsterism-at-sea-the-pursuit?r=43m4ah&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
Authored By: Global GeoPolitics
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