U.S. Still Plans To Seize Runaway Tanker Despite Its Renaming And Addition To Russian Database

U.S. forces are still planning to seize a runaway oil tanker to enforce its blockade off such vessels dealing with Venezuela, even despite it changed its name and was added to a Russian database.

CBS News reported on the development, citing two officials with knowledge of the plans, who claimed that forces would rather seize the ship than sink it.

The ship in question is now called the Marinera and has Sochi as a home port. It has also been added to an official Russian database, and Moscow asked Washington to stop its pursuit.

However, U.S. officials have said the ship was not flying a valid national flag when it first approached it, meaning it could be boarded under international law.

The tanker has been under U.S. sanctions for a year for transporting Iranian oil that authorities say is sold to finance terrorist activities. Officials obtained a seizure warrant but haven't boarded the vessel.

The Wall Street Journal noted in December that the U.S. has called a Maritime Special Response Team, an elite force trained to board hostile ships, to board it.

Another report by Reuters noted that several tankers loaded with Venezuelan oil have left the country's waters over the past days. The outlet added that about a dozen tankers have managed to leave since the beginning of the year even though President Donald Trump said the embargo remained in full force even after the capture of authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro.

Citing TankerTrackers.com and documents from state-run oil company PDVSA, all tankers referenced by the outlet are under sanctions and most carry Venezuelan crude to China.