Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday expressed what it called “serious concern” over the detention of the oil tanker Bella-1, also known as Marinera, by US forces in the Atlantic Ocean, describing the operation as an “illegal use of force” against a civilian vessel.
In a statement, the ministry said the tanker had received temporary authorization on Dec. 24 to sail under the Russian flag and was conducting what it described as “peaceful passage” through international waters of the North Atlantic en route to a Russian port.
Moscow claimed that US authorities had been repeatedly informed of the tanker’s Russian affiliation and its “civilian, non-military status.”
The ministry argued that stopping and inspecting a vessel on the high seas is permitted only under a limited set of conditions, such as piracy or human trafficking, which it said did not apply to Bella-1.
In all other cases, Russia said, such actions require the consent of the flag state. Moscow stressed that it had not given such consent and had formally protested to Washington over the pursuit of the tanker by the US Coast Guard.
“Under these circumstances, the boarding of a peaceful vessel in the open sea by US military personnel and its de facto seizure, as well as the detention of the crew, cannot be interpreted otherwise than as a gross violation of the fundamental principles and norms of international maritime law and freedom of navigation,” the ministry said.
It added that the incident infringed on the legitimate rights of the shipowner and endangered the lives and health of the crew, which includes citizens of several countries.
The Russian Foreign Ministry also rejected what it called Washington’s attempts to justify the operation by referring to US national sanctions legislation, describing such measures as “illegitimate.” It said it regretted and was alarmed by what it called Washington’s “readiness to generate acute international crisis situations.”
Moscow urged the United States to “return to compliance with the fundamental norms and principles of international maritime navigation” and to immediately halt what it described as unlawful actions against the tanker.