CARACAS, Jan 6 — Russia has deployed a submarine and other naval vessels to escort an empty, ageing oil tanker that has been trying to evade the United States (US) blockade near Venezuela, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Tuesday, citing a US official.
The tanker, formerly known as Bella 1, has been evading interception since the US Coast Guard attempted to board and seize it in December, following Washington's blockade of sanctioned oil shipments to and from Venezuela.
WSJ, citing three other US officials, stated that Moscow has asked the US to stop pursuing the vessel.
Reuters could not immediately verify the report. The White House and the US Coast Guard did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside regular hours.
On Tuesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said it was monitoring the situation surrounding the tanker "with concern", the Journal said, citing Russian state news agency RIA.
The US Southern Command, which oversees military activities in Latin America and the Caribbean, posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday that it "remains ready to support US government agency partners in standing against sanctioned vessels and actors transiting through this region."
It did not mention the WSJ report or the Russian submarine.
The WSJ reported that the US Coast Guard has continued to trail the ship into the Eastern Atlantic, where it is now sailing about 300 miles south of Iceland toward the North Sea, citing AIS positioning.
The tanker changed its name to the Marinera and switched its registration to Russia.
On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump unveiled a plan to refine and sell up to 50 million barrels of Venezuelan oil that had been stuck in Venezuela under US blockade, in a further sign that Washington is coordinating with the Venezuelan government since capturing President Nicolás Maduro in a raid last weekend.
