British Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke to President Donald Trump after the UK armed forces provided “enabling support” for the American seizure of a Russian-flagged oil tanker, stopped in the North Atlantic by the US Coast Guard.
“They (Starmer and Trump) discussed the joint operation to intercept the ‘Bella 1’ as part of shared efforts to crack down on sanctions busting, recent progress on Ukraine and the US operation in Venezuela,” a Downing Street statement said of the Wednesday evening call.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said the UK responded to the US request for assistance with its operation by deploying Royal Air Force (RAF) surveillance aircraft and Royal Navy support ship ‘RFA Tideforce’.
Defence Secretary John Healey said Britain’s support for the pre-planned action was in “full compliance with international law” and reiterated that the UK-US defence and security relationship is the “deepest in the world”.
‘Marinera’, a Venezuelan-linked tanker previously known as ‘Bella 1’, was sanctioned by the US under its counter-Iran actions and was found to have been flying a false flag before turning off its transponders while at sea as it sought to reflag.
“Our UK armed forces showed skill and professionalism in support of a successful US interception of the vessel ‘Bella 1’ while on its way to Russia. This action formed part of global efforts to crack down on sanctions busting,” said Healey.
“This ship, with a nefarious history, is part of a Russian-Iranian axis of sanctions evasion which is fuelling terrorism, conflict, and misery from the Middle East to Ukraine. The UK will continue to step up our action against shadow fleet activity to protect our national security, our economy, and global stability – making Britain secure at home and strong abroad,” he said.
The minister praised Wednesday’s “seamlessly executed operation” against a vessel assessed to have been involved in “illegal activity, linked to international terrorism and crime including Hezbollah, and part of the web of rising shadow activity that fuels and finances nefarious activity across the globe”.
“This is a sanctioned, stateless vessel which carries a long history of nefarious activity and shares close links with both Iran and Russia,” Healey later told the House of Commons.
“The UK will not stand by as malign activity increases on the high seas. And alongside our allies, we are stepping up our response against shadow vessels – and we will continue to do so.
“By assisting our US allies in taking this ship off the seas, we are protecting the British people and our nation. So this is a stark reminder that our world is changing. It is less predictable and more dangerous. This operation, and the shadow fleet show the global links between the security threats faced by the UK and its allies.”
The statement followed sightings of US military jets landing at RAF bases in Britain over the past few days. While the UK MoD refused to comment on “operational activity”, it is believed to have been linked with the operation to seize the oil tanker.
The UK claims Russia’s critical oil revenues are down 27 per cent compared to October 2024 and the lowest since the start of its conflict with Ukraine as a result of actions to deter and disrupt such Russian shadow fleet carrying oil.
