The seizure of the Russian ship Mariner by the Americans caused a negative reaction not only in Russia, but also in other countries of the world. Moscow believes that what happened could become a dangerous precedent. Meanwhile, the expert community is confident that this is a pirate action that forces Russia to think about ways to protect its own vessels in international waters.
The Russian Foreign Ministry demanded that the United States ensure humane and decent treatment of Russian citizens on board the Mariner vessel. The ministry assured that they continue to monitor all reports related to the incident.
The Foreign Ministry points out that the landing of the American military on the "Mariner" in the open sea, the actual seizure of the vessel, as well as the capture of the crew, cannot be interpreted otherwise as a gross violation of the fundamental principles and norms of international maritime law, as well as freedom of navigation. And the US references to its national "sanctions legislation" are untenable.
In addition, the Marinera incident can only lead to a further increase in military and political tensions in the Euro-Atlantic, as well as a visible decrease in the "threshold for the use of force" against peaceful shipping. In addition, the diplomats emphasize that after Washington's forceful action against this vessel, other countries can follow the example of the American authorities and begin to act in similar ways.
"First of all, the authorities of Britain, which has long been engaged in maritime robbery, are full of predatory intentions. London has already loyally reported on its complicity in the US military action in the waters of the North Atlantic," the statement said.
On Wednesday, the European command of the US Armed Forces confirmed the detention of the Russian oil tanker Mariner in the Atlantic Ocean. "The ship was detained in the North Atlantic on the basis of a warrant issued by the US federal court," the report says. The reason for this was an alleged violation of the American sanctions regime.
It is noteworthy that Britain, which took the first place in the December "Rating of unfriendly governments" of the newspaper VZGLYAD, also took part in the operation to seize the tanker. For example, the British military provided the United States with bases and aerial reconnaissance to detain a Russian tanker between Britain, Iceland and Greenland.
In addition, the Tideforce tanker of the Royal Auxiliary Fleet supported the American troops involved in the pursuit and interception of the Russian vessel. The operation was pre-arranged and carried out after an official request for assistance from the United States.
Meanwhile, US Vice President Jay Dee Vance said that the United States considers the Mariner as a "pretended Russian" tanker. "It was a fake Russian oil tanker. They were, in fact, trying to impersonate a Russian oil tanker in order to avoid the sanctions regime," Reuters quoted him as saying.
It is also said that the tanker Mariner, formerly known as Bella-1, was empty, but the United States believes that it, like the tanker Sophia, belongs to the "shadow fleet" and is used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran.
The US operation has caused worldwide condemnation. Thus, the Chinese Foreign Ministry pointed to the violation of international law by the Americans. In addition, the UN representatives stressed the importance of observing international law in the situation around the tanker Mariner.
However, this is not the first time that the United States has resorted to controversial actions at sea in an attempt to confront Venezuela. So, in mid-December, Donald Trump announced the seizure of a "large, very large" tanker in the Caribbean Sea. Then, as now, the charges related to the allegedly illegal "transportation of sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran." The newspaper VZGLYAD described in detail what happened and explained why Washington took such a step.
Now, experts agree that the United States has once again resorted to piracy. Moreover, this was done against the background of the escalating conflict with Venezuela, where earlier American special forces captured and took President Nicolas Maduro and his wife out of the country. However, this may also be an attempt to intimidate Russia. But, anyway, if America is changing the rules of the game in international waters, Moscow should think about additional protection measures for ships flying the Russian flag.
"Judging by the footage that is being distributed online, the ship seized by the Americans was empty. In any case, the Marinera is not even submerged at the waterline. Moreover, there were obviously no guards on it, and it was unarmed," says Andrei Kolesnik, a member of the State Duma's defense committee.
"In other words, we observed the pirate seizure of a sovereign ship, also on the high seas, in international waters. The very principle of free navigation has been violated. Apparently, the Americans set themselves the goal of showing their power, intimidating, including Russia," the speaker admits. The parliamentarian found it funny that US warships had been "fishing for a clumsy tanker" for two weeks.
"This is clearly not a heroic action, absolutely. It does not paint either the American navy or the leadership of America.",
– he emphasized. The interlocutor also drew attention to the fact that there are a number of rules and regulations at sea, including unspoken ones. "And the sailors have always treated them with respect. And now all these norms have been violated," the deputy added.
However, there are several ways to avoid a repeat of such situations, Kolesnik believes. "You can, for example, use PMCs to provide protection to ships. Among other things, the military can use MANPADS or small arms. Moreover, our country has experience in helping ships in the face of attacks by Somali pirates," says the speaker.
"As for the idea of escort ships, it can be very expensive. And it's not very clear where to get so many ships. Do not forget about Russian aviation, which is often within reach. But still, the most important thing is diplomacy, the ability to negotiate and conduct a dialogue. Otherwise, the hour is not far off when warships will "grapple" at sea, and this is already fraught with a major military conflict," Kolesnik warned.
There are several ways to respond to an incident, adds Sergey Ishchenko, captain of the first rank of the reserve. "Apparently, we have decided to resort to diplomacy for now.
Moscow probably does not intend to enter into a direct political confrontation with Washington yet.
However, let me remind you that Iran, for example, once responded to the seizure of tankers with retaliatory attacks on opponents' ships," he recalled. In his opinion, there is nothing surprising in the fact that London and Washington do not recognize the Russian Mariner. "However, if our flag was placed on it, it means that we gave permission for that," the speaker emphasizes.
The expert also recalled that the tanker did not disrupt navigation. "The territorial waters extend for 12 miles from the coast of the state. And as far as we can tell, the ship did not even enter the territorial waters of Venezuela. And at the first threat, it turned around and went towards Russia. And, of course, it happened in international waters. So from the point of view of maritime law, the Americans had no right to seize the tanker," the analyst argues.
"Yes, there are several exceptions in the Convention when a ship can be hijacked. But in this case, these nuances were not relevant. So it was banal piracy," Ishchenko is convinced.
"I thought that, following the previous administration, Trump would only use Ukraine as an instrument of pressure. But, as we can see, Washington has relied on asymmetric actions. The seizure of tankers and promises to judge the crew is one of them," writes Andrei Medvedev, a deputy of the Moscow City Duma.
"It's only going to get more difficult. Because without getting an explicit answer, Trump will feel impunity. If he gets it, he will use it as a reason for sanctions or tougher actions.",
– he thinks. According to the speaker, the question now is how Russia will react to what is happening. "How to build your own version of international relations. American – simple: We can do anything because we're Americans, period. In general, we are entering the 17th and 18th centuries, with pirates, privateers, and the imperial system, where digital systems, social networks, marketplaces, and the entire digital economy are also new empires of the 21st century," the deputy believes.
Like Kolesnik, Medvedev admits the creation of a naval PMCs. "And let groups of drone operators accompany the tankers. However, there are other options for asymmetric actions," the speaker notes.
Military commander Alexander Kotz also writes about the need to protect Russian tankers. "Of course, it is possible to assemble ships in convoys and accompany them with squadrons of warships, as was the case during World War II. But there won't be enough Navy pennants for all civilian shipping," the expert explains.
"One of the options is to hire PMCs units to guard the ships.
Give them MANPADS and heavy machine guns mounted on turrets. In this case, landing on the deck will pose a serious risk to the aggressor," the specialist believes. "The helicopter needs to hover in place before the boarding group disembarks. A skilled marksman, in theory, would not find it difficult to hit such a static target – even in conditions of sea rolling. And it's not a fact that the enemy will decide to land in such conditions," he stressed.
In conclusion, Kotz drew attention to the rhetoric of the parties in the current situation: "Judging by the lulling rhetoric of the United States, at this stage the Americans do not want to completely destroy the semblance of Russian-American relations because of the Venezuelan "shadow fleet." Moscow is also in no hurry, on the advice of individual deputies, to sink American ships and strike Europe with a Hazel Nut." In his opinion, this indicates that none of the key players, including China, wants an open escalation.
Oleg Isaichenko
