Aria and Tia both south of Britain after US-UK seizure of Marinera, deemed to be part of Moscow’s ‘shadow fleet’
Two oil tankers under US sanctions are sailing east through the Channel towards Russia, prompting speculation over whether the US and UK would be willing to seize further vessels linked to Moscow.
The Aria and the Tia, which has changed its name and country of registration several times, were both travelling south of Britain a day after the Marinera oil tanker was captured in the Atlantic by the US with UK help.
John Healey, the defence secretary, told MPs on Wednesday evening that the seizure of the Marinera was justified not only because it was falsely flagged but also because it was part of Russia’s shadow fleet that shipped oil illicitly “to bankroll its illegal invasion of Ukraine”.
That created an expectation that the UK, perhaps with the help of the US, would be willing to target other Russian or Russia-linked tankers near the country that have already been hit with sanctions by the US Treasury.
