US: “Incident can only lead to further escalation of military-political tensions in Euro-Atlantic region”: Russia demands that stop its “unlawful actions” against Marinera
US: The Russian Foreign Ministry called on the United States to immediately stop its “unlawful actions” against the Marinera and other ships engaged in legitimate activity on the high seas and to revert to the accepted standards and principles of international maritime law.
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a formal statement Thursday that they were very concerned by the US Armed Forces’ alleged unlawful use of force against the oil ship Marinera on January 7.
According to the statement, “Washington’s willingness to incite serious international crises, including in already severely strained Russian-American relations, is both regrettable and alarming, along with the US administration’s disdain for the accepted norms of international maritime navigation.” The Marinera episode can only result in a disastrous reduction of the threshold for employing force against civilian vessels and an increase in military-political tensions in the Euro-Atlantic area. Because of Washington’s reckless example, other performers could be inspired to follow suit. Having publicly admitted their participation in the US military action in North Atlantic seas, authorities in the United Kingdom, a nation with a long history of maritime predation, are already demonstrating such intent.”
According to the Russian MFA, the Marinera was traveling peacefully through international seas in the North Atlantic region in December after being temporarily granted permission to fly the Russian flag in compliance with both Russian and international law.On December 24, the Marinera was calmly passing through international seas in the North Atlantic on her way to a Russian port after being temporarily permitted to fly the Russian flag in compliance with both international and Russian law. Reliable information verifying the vessel’s Russian registration and civilian, non-military character was repeatedly given to US officials, including via formal discussions with the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This reality could not have been disputed, nor could there have been any foundation for claims that the tanker was operating “without a flag” or “under a false flag.” The flag state is expressly granted exclusive authority over its vessels on the high seas under international maritime law. The Marinera is not subject to the limited conditions that allow stopping and inspecting a vessel in international seas, such as suspected piracy or slave trade. The statement said, “In all other cases, such actions require the consent of the flag state, which in this case is Russia.”
In addition to refusing to give such consent, the statement said, Russia had officially protested to US authorities in recent weeks over the ongoing pursuit of the Marinera by a US Coast Guard vessel, calling for the immediate termination of the pursuit and the retraction of illegal demands made to the captain of the Russian ship.
The boarding and de facto seizure of a civilian vessel on the high seas by US military personnel, along with the detention of its crew, can only be viewed under these circumstances as a flagrant violation of the fundamental principles and norms of international maritime law and the freedom of navigation,” the Russian Foreign Ministry stated. The shipowner’s lawful rights and interests are being gravely violated by this. The crew of the Marinera, which consists of people from several nations, is now in danger for their lives and health. We find it very intolerable that US officials would threaten to take legal action against them on ludicrous reasons. Furthermore, US soldiers clearly ignored the risk of seriously harming the North Atlantic’s ecosystem by engaging in a risky chase and armed capture of an oil tanker during extreme weather.
The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that the unilateral restrictive measures imposed by the US and other Western nations are illegitimate and cannot justify attempts to assert jurisdiction, let alone the seizure of vessels, on the high seas, and that the US’s references to its domestic “sanctions legislation” are without legal basis.
It also stated: “It is very cynical for certain US officials to suggest that the Marinera’s seizure is a part of a larger plan to give Washington unrestricted authority over Venezuela’s natural riches. We vehemently oppose such neo-colonial aspirations.
We demand that Washington immediately stop its illegal efforts against the Marinera and other ships that are using the high seas for legitimate purposes.
The U.S. must guarantee the proper and humane treatment of the Russian people aboard, completely respect their rights, and expedite their return home, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
After purportedly avoiding a US blockade of sanctioned oil tankers near Venezuela for more than two weeks, the Russian-flagged oil tanker Marinera, previously known as the Bella 1, was apprehended by US authorities in the North Atlantic Ocean after weeks of pursuit by the US Coast Guard cruiser.
Moscow strongly condemned the seizure when it was made, stating that no government has the right to use force against ships that are legally registered under the sovereignty of another state, especially on the high seas.