The United Kingdom provided direct military assistance to American forces during the dramatic seizure of a Russian-flagged oil tanker in waters near the British Isles, the Defence Secretary has confirmed.
UK's Role in the Atlantic Operation
John Healey stated that British involvement was both legitimate and justified under international law. The UK permitted US aircraft to operate from its bases in preparation for the mission. During the operation itself, the Royal Air Force supplied additional surveillance, while the Royal Navy provided crucial refuelling support as US personnel moved to capture the vessel.
The target of the operation was the Marinera, a tanker intercepted northwest of the British Isles. The defence ministry argued the seizure was lawful because the ship was in breach of international sanctions targeting Iran. Healey described the vessel as having a "nefarious history" and being "part of a Russian-Iranian axis of sanctions evasion which is fuelling terrorism, conflict, and misery from the Middle East to Ukraine."
A Ship with a Shadowy Past
The tanker was previously known as the Bella 1 and had been placed under sanctions by the US Treasury in July 2024. American authorities accused it of carrying illicit cargo for a company owned by Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Lebanese group. In late December, as the Bella 1 sailed towards Venezuela, it abruptly reversed course after an approach by the US Coast Guard.
In an apparent attempt to avoid capture, the vessel was hastily renamed the Marinera and re-flagged under Russia. This manoeuvre, however, failed to deter the US operation. The Ministry of Defence stated that intelligence assessments linked the tanker to international terrorism and organised crime, calling it "part of the web of rising shadow activity that fuels and finances nefarious activity across the globe."
Intense Surveillance Preceded Capture
Flight tracking data revealed the extent of the monitoring operation. This week, US P-8 Poseidon surveillance aircraft, flying from RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, closely tracked the Marinera's journey across the Atlantic several hundred miles west of Ireland.
The build-up to the seizure also involved a series of US C-17 Globemaster transport flights into RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire over the past 36 hours. This activity prompted speculation that the aircraft were delivering helicopters for use by US special forces. Furthermore, two AC-130 gunships were filmed arriving at Mildenhall on Sunday, underscoring the operation's scale.
According to data from TankerTrackers, a specialist monitoring service, the vessel (as the Bella 1) transported a significant volume of oil between October 2021 and September 2025. This included 7.3 million barrels of Iranian crude and 3.7 million barrels of Venezuelan crude oil, predominantly to China.
The tanker is not currently believed to be carrying oil, leading to speculation it may have been transporting other, potentially illicit, cargo at the time of its interception.
