China slams ships seizure by US

Russia condemns the move, with its military experts describing it as ‘state-level piracy’

China has said that the arbitrary detention of foreign vessels in international waters by the United States constitutes a serious violation of international law. A day earlier, Moscow condemned the move, with Russian experts describing it as “state-level piracy.”

China’s response followed an announcement by the US European Command that it had seized an oil tanker linked to Venezuela and registered as a Russian vessel during an operation in the North Atlantic on Wednesday.

Speaking at a regular press briefing on Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Beijing consistently opposes illegal and unilateral sanctions that lack a basis in international law and have not been authorised by the United Nations Security Council. “China also opposes any actions that violate the purposes and principles of the UN Charter or infringe upon the sovereignty and security of other countries,” Mao added.

In a social media post, US European Command said the US Departments of Justice and Homeland Security, in coordination with the Department of Defense, had “announced the seizure of the M/V Bella 1 for violations of US sanctions.”

“The vessel was seized in the North Atlantic pursuant to a warrant issued by a US federal court after being tracked by the US Coast Guard cutter Munro,” the command said.

According to CBS News and other US media reports, the tanker — now named “Marinera” and previously known as “Bella 1” — had been under US sanctions related to Iran. The seizure followed an active pursuit by US forces that began in late December.

The reports said that in December 2025, the tanker, then sailing under the Panamanian flag, was boarded by US personnel while en route to Venezuela to load cargo.

The British Defence Ministry confirmed that the UK had provided “enabling support” to the US military during the operation. In a statement, the ministry said the assistance was provided at Washington’s request.

“Our UK Armed Forces showed skill and professionalism in support of a successful US interception of the vessel Bella 1 while it was on its way to Russia.  This action formed part of global efforts to crack down on sanctions-busting,” the statement said. Britain claimed the vessel had a “nefarious history” and alleged it was part of a “Russian-Iranian axis of sanctions evasion.”

Russia strongly criticised the seizure. The Russian Transport Ministry said no state has the right to use force against vessels lawfully registered under the jurisdiction of other states, citing the principle of freedom of navigation on the high seas under the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a social media post that, in light of reports that Russian citizens were among the crew, it demanded the United States ensure their humane and dignified treatment, fully respect their rights, and allow their swift return home.

Russian military expert Vasiliy Dandykin described the incident as “state-level piracy.” “Usually, when we talk about pirates, we think of Somalia or illegal groups,” Dandykin said. “But the vessel tracking the tanker Marinera was a ship of the US Coast Guard. And where is the US coast? Thousands of nautical miles away.”

He warned that the incident had “opened Pandora’s box.” “If such actions extend beyond internal waters into the open oceans — which cover three-quarters of the Earth’s surface — the consequences could be extremely serious, even for those who initiated them,” Dandykin said.

Russian political analyst Malek Dudakov said the seizure amounted to another violation of international law.

“Through its actions, the United States is undermining global trust in the international system it has long claimed to uphold,” Dudakov said, warning that the consequences would be long-lasting and primarily detrimental to Washington itself.

He said the incident was unlikely to be isolated and could signal a broader pattern of similar actions. “At this stage, it is difficult to predict whether there will be an immediate escalation,” Dudakov said. “What is more likely is that the US will continue conducting pirate-style inspections or similar operations.”

Dudakov added that Russia may increasingly deploy armed escorts for its oil tankers, while continuing diplomatic engagement with Washington.

“Given current conditions, there are few alternatives,” he said. “Russia will demand that the United States refrain from such behaviour, although it is quite possible that Washington will not alter its foreign policy course.”

A former NATO official said that the ship seizure by the United States is ‘not surprising’. Jamie Shea, former NATO deputy assistant secretary general for Emerging Security Challenges, told CGTN that the most interesting element of the mid-ocean tanker seizure was its potential effect on US-Russian relations. 

“The US has made it clear that it wants to clamp down on Venezuela’s oil traffic. It’s been doing this, of course, off the coast of Venezuela, but it’s not surprising that the United States should now go further,” Shea said.

He added: “It’s going to be very interesting to see how Moscow reacts as a result of this US seizure and if it makes relations between Moscow and Washington worse at a time when the Europeans are very much hoping that Trump will swing back behind a Europe-Ukraine-US peace plan and be prepared to put more pressure on Putin.”

With additional input from Agencies