Russia has formally asked the United States to stop chasing an oil tanker that was headed to Venezuela and is now fleeing a U.S. Coast Guard vessel in the Atlantic Ocean. Russia’s request was first reported by The New York Times, which quoted two people familiar with the matter.
They said the diplomatic note was delivered to the State Department late on New Year’s Eve and was also sent to the Homeland Security Council at the White House.
Meanwhile, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said he’s open to negotiations with Washington on combating drug trafficking.
“The U.S. government knows, because we’ve told many of their spokespeople, that if they want to seriously discuss an agreement to combat drug trafficking, we’re ready,” Maduro said in a taped interview that aired Thursday on state television channel teleSUR, according to NBC News.
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Tanker dispute intersects Trump’s Ukraine talks and Venezuela oil blockade
The dispute comes as President Donald Trump is trying to negotiate a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. During a recent meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Mar-a-Lago, both leaders projected hope for a resolution. However, The Times noted that complex negotiations regarding territory and security assurances remain unresolved.
At the same time, the tanker confrontation is tied to Trump’s effort to pressure Maduro by imposing what The Times described as a quasi-blockade on some oil tankers, and what Trump called a “total and complete” maritime blockade of Venezuela’s oil exports.
Energy Intelligence reported that the U.S. seized the Skipper and boarded the Centuries, and that Venezuelan crude is piling up on ships and in limited onshore storage.
US calls tanker ‘stateless’ as Russia rushes flag registration
American forces have been tracking the very large crude carrier, originally named Bella 1, for nearly two weeks. U.S. officials said that the tanker began its voyage in Iran and was headed to Venezuela to load oil when the Coast Guard tried to stop and board it in the Caribbean Sea.
According to The Times, American authorities determined the ship was not displaying a legitimate national flag during the initial encounter, giving the Coast Guard legal authority to board and inspect the vessel. U.S. authorities reportedly held a court-approved seizure warrant based on the vessel’s history of transporting Iranian oil that the United States alleges is sold to finance terrorism.
The crew, however, refused to allow the Coast Guard to board the ship and steered back toward the Atlantic. In the following days, U.S. officials said the crew painted a Russian flag on the hull and radioed the Coast Guard to claim they were sailing under Russian authority.
A subsequent entry in the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping lists the former Bella 1 under a new name, Marinera, flying the Russian flag and based in the port of Sochi, according to a separate investigation by The Times. The registry is a state-run entity that functions directly under the Russian government’s maritime oversight.
Despite that listing, an anonymous U.S. official told The Times that the Trump administration still considers the tanker “stateless,” arguing that any Russian flag was applied only after the initial encounter and does not retroactively shield the ship from U.S. intervention.
Former U.S. Treasury sanctions expert David Tannenbaum told The Times it is uncertain if such a sudden registration would hold up legally. He characterized the tactic as typical of Russia’s role as a haven for the “dark fleet” of illicit tankers transporting oil from sanctioned regimes like Iran and Venezuela.
Marinera keeps its distance while Moscow and Washington stay quiet publicly
The tanker, now formally recorded as the Marinera, has continued to evade the Coast Guard as it moves slowly across the Atlantic. While keeping the vessel under surveillance, Coast Guard units have held back from a second interception attempt, a high-risk operation against a noncompliant crew in open water.
Russia’s diplomatic note asks Washington to end the pursuit on the grounds that the ship is under its flag. The Russian government has not publicly explained its position.
A U.S. official speaking anonymously told The Times that enforcement actions against illicit oil shipments are continuing despite the tanker’s disputed status.
Maduro has ordered the Venezuelan navy to escort some tankers leaving port and has considered putting troops aboard. Energy Intelligence reports that the recent U.S. commandeering of the tanker Skipper and the interception of the Centuries have sent a chill through the industry, prompting many other vessels to stay docked or disable their trackers to avoid detection.
