The US Department of Defense announced the interception of the tanker Aquila II for “quarantine violations.” The vessel is linked to Russia's shadow fleet.
The US Department of Defense announced this on the social network X.
The US Department of Defense says the tanker violated a quarantine imposed by President Donald Trump on sanctioned ships in the Caribbean and was tracked all the way to the Indian Ocean.
“The Department of Defense tracked and pursued this vessel from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean. No other country on planet Earth has the ability to impose its will across any territory. On land, in the air, or at sea, our Armed Forces will find you and restore justice. You will run out of fuel long before you outrun us,” the US Department of Defense said in a statement.
What is known about the US seizure of the tankers Bella 1/Marinera, M-Sophia and Olina
On January 7, the US seized the Russian-flagged tanker Bella 1/Marinera in the North Atlantic, as well as the unflagged M-Sophia in the Caribbean. In particular, Bella 1 was traveling from Venezuela to Russia and was carrying oil.
White House spokeswoman Caroline Levitt said the ship was under sanctions and had been seized on a federal warrant, and its crew would be prosecuted for violating federal law. She added that Washington was “not afraid” of escalating relations with Moscow in this context, and that President Donald Trump would enforce US laws “no matter what.”
The Russian Foreign Ministry acknowledged that there were Russian citizens on the tanker who worked there. The department said it was monitoring the seizure of the tanker and demanding that the US return its citizens to Russia.
On January 9, Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States Olga Stefanishyna reported that there are 17 Ukrainian citizens among the Bella 1 crew members. At the same time, according to her, there are no Ukrainians on board the M-Sophia.
On January 9, the U.S. military seized the Olina in the Caribbean. According to Reuters and NBC News, the ship was flying the flag of East Timor. The ship had had its tracking system turned off for the past 52 days.
Russia's Shadow Fleet and International Sanctions
Russia has created a shadow fleet, a network of oil tankers used to circumvent international sanctions imposed over its aggression against Ukraine. This fleet allows the Kremlin to continue exporting oil, including to China and India, even after restrictions on Russian oil imports to the EU were imposed.
According to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, the Russian shadow fleet includes over a thousand tankers, including 238 vessels that are actively involved in circumventing sanctions. These tankers often change flags, disable tracking systems, and operate without proper insurance, making them difficult to detect and identify.
The international community is actively responding to this problem. The European Union has repeatedly expanded its sanctions lists, adding vessels associated with the shadow fleet. For example, in the 15th package of sanctions, the EU added several dozen more vessels involved in the illegal transportation of Russian oil.
In addition, Australia imposed sanctions on 60 shadow fleet vessels for the first time, and Canada announced sanctions on more than 200 vessels used to circumvent sanctions.
Despite these international efforts, Russia continues to use a shadow fleet to secure its economic interests and finance military operations.