New Delhi: A Russian-flagged oil tanker that was seized by the US military on Wednesday had a crew of 28 people, which included three Indian nationals, Russia Today has reported.
The oil tanker named ‘Marinera’ was seized in the waters of North Atlantic after US forces tracked it from the Caribbean Sea, according to Russia’s Transport ministry.
Besides 3 Indians, the crew consisted of 6 citizens of Georgia, 17 of Ukraine and 2 Russians.
American authorities justified the move by stating that the tanker had links with Venezuela.
The vessel, chartered by a private trader, was earlier named Bella 1 and was operating under the flag of Guyana.
Marinera initially slipped through an American ‘blockade’ of sanctioned tankers and denied US Coast Guard personnel from boarding it. The Coast Guard and US military ultimately managed to seize the tanker, reported Reuters.
Russia said it had lost all contact with the oil tanker after American naval forces boarded it.
This is the first time in recent memory that US military seized a Russian-flagged vessel. It comes four days after a late-night operation by US Special Forces in Caracas, which led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, who are facing narco-terrorism charges in the US.
