The US seizes tankers
Breaking news – perhaps important, perhaps not so very:
The U.S. carried out operations Wednesday to seize two oil tankers linked to Venezuela — one in the North Atlantic and one in the Caribbean Sea, officials said.
The U.S. European Command confirmed the seizure of the Marinera, a Venezuela-linked oil tanker formerly known as Bella-1. It said the vessel was seized for violations of U.S. sanctions and pursuant to a warrant issued by a U.S. federal court after being tracked by USCGC Munro.
The U.S. has been following the tanker since last month, and CBS News first reported on Monday that American forces were planning to intercept it. …
A Russian submarine and other naval vessels had been deployed to escort the tanker as the U.S. followed it, two U.S. officials confirmed to CBS News on Tuesday. …
The Russian Maritime Register of Shipping lists the tanker as being ported out of Sochi, off the western coast of the Black Sea. The New York Times reported that the Russian government officially had asked the U.S. to stop all attempts to interdict the ship.
However, the ship apparently wasn’t carrying oil:
Russia has deployed a submarine and other naval assets to escort an aging oil tanker, Marinera, formerly known as Bella 1, which the US has been trying to intercept.
The oil tanker, which sails under the Russian flag, has historically transported Venezuelan crude oil. However, reports suggest that the tanker is not currently carrying oil.
The tanker … is accused of failing to abide by US sanctions and shipping Iranian oil. The US has been pursuing the tanker, which began its journey from Iran and was heading to Venezuela, across the Atlantic.
Somebody please explain the tactical role/value of a submarine escort.
That’s kind of a rhetorical question.
Well, to be of credible value as an escort, the submarine would have to be on the surface and visible, which makes its value… er, wait.
Those Russian submariners better hope that CG cutter isn’t packing a couple of Ukrainian drones.
Not carrying oil, eh?
Probably carrying dates, then.
Wasn’t Maduro relatively recently BEGGING the mullahs to send him dates?
Um, er, so sorry, no, that was ballistic missiles he was begging for (me bad)—once he saw the dang things actually worked… (at least some of the time…).
Still, dates OR ballistic missiles; generous of Putin to help out with the shipment…
(Hell! Where is that gosh-darn General MILLEY when ye’ really need ‘im??)
According to FlightRadar24, there were both US
and UK P-8 Poseidon Anti-submarine Warfare (ASW) planes hanging around too.
That’s a navel Boeing 737 with long range and endurance, carrying sonobuoys and homing torpedos. A very serious asset in such a situation.
The tanker was headed from Iran to Venezuela, so it had yet to pick up its oil shipment, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t carrying something to Venezuela (i.e., it might have some sort of cargo).
US subs escort carriers. Modern subs are not all like the WW2 diesel electric subs that were slow underwater. They have escort value. In this case they could be a significant threat to any pursuing surface ships.
Don:
Okay, that makes sense.
@IrishOtter49
It depends, but generally to be able to protect whatever it is escorting while having a warship present that can scan and hear something coming while being in position to torpedo a possible attacker without being seen.
However, the ship apparently wasn’t carrying oil…
It’s carrying something of great interest, though. The UK walked back their policy of not sharing Caribbean intelligence with the US when that tanker showed up on our radar.