The Russian Tanker Marinera Was Not Saved Even By Aviation

• 12.01.2026, 9:55

Russian planes were flying over the ship, which was seized by the US.

Russia did not limit itself to sending a submarine to the area where the shadow fleet tanker Marinera (previously renamed Bella-1) was located on the eve of its seizure, but also used aviation. In addition, the Russian military was in contact with the ship's crew already at the moment when the U.S. military took control of the tanker. This is reported by The Wall Street Journal.

According to the publication, negotiations between the crew of the Marinera and the Russian military continued even when U.S. special forces fighters descended on the vessel from helicopters. WSJ sources say the Russian ships had withdrawn to a safe distance in advance, but radioed the Northern Fleet headquarters in Murmansk about fears of a possible firefight.

At one point, two Russian planes flew over the U.S. Coast Guard ship escorting the tanker. In the end, the fears were not confirmed: according to a senior Russian naval official, the crew of the Marinera did not offer any resistance.

The incident, according to the WSJ, points to a closer connection between Russia and Venezuela's state-owned oil company PdVSA, as well as Moscow's more active role in the formation of the "shadow" fleet than previously thought. According to Windward analyst Michelle Wiese Bockmann, "Russian interests in PdVSA have the potential to set up a confrontation between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin over oil assets in Venezuela."