Russian military and political experts on Wednesday lashed out at the U.S. seizure of a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the North Atlantic, calling the action state-level piracy and a dangerous breach of international law.
Earlier on Wednesday, the U.S. European Command said the U.S. Coast Guard had seized the Marinera, formerly known as Bella-1, an oil tanker registered as a Russian vessel which was expected to load oil in Venezuela, in an operation in the North Atlantic.
Russian military vessels were in the area as the U.S. operation unfolded, according to media reports.
Moscow on Wednesday condemned the U.S. for seizing the Russian-flagged tanker in the North Atlantic, following a pursuit by the U.S. Coast Guard that began off the coast of Venezuela.
"I believe this is an act of piracy, state-level piracy. When we talk about pirates, we usually mean Somali pirates or other unlawful groups. But in this case, it was U.S. Coast Guard ships tracking the Marinera. And where is the U.S. coast? Thousands of nautical miles away. They followed the tanker for more than two weeks. I think this has opened the 'Pandora's box,'" said Vasiliy Dandykin, a Russian military expert. "The U.S. action of seizing an oil tanker in neutral waters is yet another violation of international law and maritime law. There is no doubt this incident poses a crisis for Venezuela, for Russia, and for the entire world. It once again shows the United States' disregard for international law. I believe similar actions by the U.S. will continue in the future. And Russia will increasingly launch armed escorts for its oil tankers," said Malek Dudakov, a Russian political analyst and U.S. affairs expert.
The oil tanker was in the Caribbean and apparently headed to Venezuela to load cargo when it was chased by the U.S. Coast Guard about two and a half weeks ago. It then retreated into the Atlantic Ocean.
On Dec. 31, it was listed by the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping as a Russian vessel with the new name Marinera. The ship's crew also painted a Russian flag on the ship's side.
Last month, U.S. President Donald Trump ordered a "full and total blockade" of all sanctioned tankers entering or leaving Venezuela.
The Marinera was the third oil tanker that had been pursued by U.S. forces off the coast of Venezuela.
Russian experts slam U.S. oil tanker seizure
Taoiseach of Ireland Micheal Martin, who wrapped up his five-day official visit to China, has praised China's progress in areas such as digital economy and green energy, saying Ireland is willing to deepen economic and trade cooperation with China in emerging sectors while enhancing cooperation on multilateral affairs.
It is Martin's first visit to China since taking office and the first by an Irish prime minister in 14 years.
Speaking during a joint interview with Chinese media outlets in Beijing, Martin spoke positively of the steady development of bilateral relations in recent years, highlighting closer people-to-people exchanges and growing ties in higher education.
"We now have a direct flight between Dublin and China and that's very important in terms of people to people. Our education links are very strong and we have many partnerships between Irish higher education institutions and Chinese higher education institutions and that's important," he said.
Martin said economic and trade ties remain a key pillar underpinning the sound development of bilateral relations.
He recalled that bilateral trade has seen exponential growth since his first visit to China 20 years ago, when he served as minister for enterprise, trade and employment.
Looking ahead, he expressed expectations for expanded cooperation with China in such emerging fields as digital economy and green transition.
"We will be embarking on a major investment in offshore renewables over the next decade. We already are in the planning process. It's a windy island, so we have a lot of wind to harness for energy. So we do see opportunities in AI as well. Ireland is a very strong location for investment, as a member of the European Union, the only English-speaking country now in the Eurozone and in the European Union. And it's a good access point to the European consumer market. We believe there's a greater opportunity for Chinese companies to locate in Ireland," he said.
As Ireland is set to assume the rotating presidency of the European Union (EU) in the second half of 2026, Martin said Ireland adopts a pragmatic policy towards China within the EU and stays committed to promoting a EU-China relationship framework that effectively manages differences while expanding mutually beneficial cooperation.
"What is important is that we continue to dialogue and see can we develop frameworks of agreement on the big picture. The WTO is also very important forum for resolving trade issues. Both Europe and China would acknowledge that industrial resilience, economic security issues are important issues, but that has to be balanced with an open free trade environment. So we are against tariffs. We think tariffs are ultimately damaging to the world economy," he said.
At the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Martin paid an official visit to China from Jan 4 to 8. In addition to Beijing, he also visited Shanghai.
Irish Taoiseach sees broader cooperation with China in emerging sectors
