Sailors from seized tanker Marinera sent to Russia
The U.S. seized the oil tanker Marinera in early January, citing sanctions violations related to Venezuela.
Two Russian sailors from the crew of the tanker Marinera have been released. Details were provided by Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova.
«Two Russian sailors from the tanker »Marinera« have been released — they are on their way to Russia,» Zakharova commented.
The U.S. seized the oil tanker Marinera, which was flying the Russian flag, in the North Atlantic on January 7. The vessel was detained due to violations of sanctions against Venezuela. Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, commenting on the incident, stated that the blockade of sanctioned oil from Venezuela remains in force worldwide.
White House press secretary Levitt did not rule out that the tanker«s crew could face criminal charges. According to U.S. information, the vessel, originally named Bella 1, changed its name to Marinera after an attempted inspection in December and declared a switch to Russian jurisdiction.
Following this, the Russian Foreign Ministry called the U.S. actions a violation of international law and demanded the release of the tanker and the safe return of the crew to their homeland.
