'Irregular' armed guards aboard Russian shadow tankers alarm Nordic-Baltic governments

The seizure of a Russian-linked lipid tanker successful the North Atlantic has highlighted "worry" among NATO and Nordic-Baltic governments implicit acheronian fleet vessels and the benignant of crews onboard, according to a maritime quality analyst.

U.S. subject and Coast Guard unit boarded the Marinera betwixt Iceland and the U.K. Wednesday arsenic it operated nether deceptive shipping practices, including flying a mendacious emblem and violating sanctions.

And according to Reuters, Russian authorities demanded the humane attraction and repatriation of the unit members.

Windward maritime quality expert Michelle Wiese Bockmann claimed the Marinera’s ownership had conscionable been transferred to Burevestmarin LLC, a Russian company.

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U.S. forces seized the Russian-flagged Marinera lipid tanker successful the North Atlantic Sea, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, according to the U.S. military. (US European Command)

"We bash not cognize the presumption of these sailors and seafarers, who are Russian nationals," Wiese Bockmann told Fox News Digital. 

"That deficiency of clarity is communal with acheronian fleet tankers," she added.

"The Marinera did person its ownership transferred to a recently formed Russian company, with the registered owner, vessel manager and commercialized manager being Burevestmarin LLC," Wiese Bockmann clarified.

She besides suggested NATO and the Nordic-Baltic 8+ radical of governments person been "worried" astir sanctioned lipid tankers with unauthorized unit onboard, including "armed guards."

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U.S. forces seized the Russian-flagged Marinera lipid tanker successful the North Atlantic Sea, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, according to the U.S. military. (US European Command)

"Increasingly, and I cognize the Nordic Baltic 8+ governments are disquieted astir the information that you are having unauthorized radical besides connected board, besides known arsenic equipped guards," Wiese Bockmann said. "But it is highly irregular."

"Armed guards are seldom seen and typically utilized connected ships that are transiting the Gulf of aden oregon the Red Sea and are truthful assessed arsenic astatine hazard from onslaught by houthis oregon pirates," she added.

Following the seizure, White House property caput Karoline Leavitt rejected Russian demands for peculiar attraction of the Marinera’s unit during her regular briefing Wednesday.

"This was a Venezuelan shadiness fleet vas that had transported sanctioned oil," Leavitt said.

"The vas was deemed stateless aft flying a mendacious flag, and it had a judicial seizure order, and that’s wherefore the unit volition beryllium taxable to prosecution."

Russia’s Foreign Ministry said it was "closely following" the situation, according to the state-run TASS quality agency.

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A crude lipid tanker waits its crook to beryllium loaded with crude lipid astatine Lake Maracaibo successful Maracaibo, Zulia State, Venezuela connected May 9, 2025.  (Federico Parra/AFP/Getty Images)

Wiese Bockmann noted that acheronian fleet crews are often multinational, typically involving a Russian maestro with Chinese, Indian oregon Filipino unit members.

"There is simply a blurring of commercialized and subject shipping astir the acheronian fleet," she said. "What we’re seeing present is thing that has truly lone emerged successful the past six oregon 7 months."

European authorities person besides begun holding crews accountable, peculiarly erstwhile captains are "facilitating unsafe deceptive shipping practices, specified arsenic spoofing and going dark," she explained.

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"The EU precocious sanctioned the skipper of a tanker who refused orders from the Estonian navy (Jaguar) to beryllium stopped for inspection past May, and the French charged a skipper implicit his refusal to comply with orders and nonaccomplishment to warrant a flag’s nationality aft authorities intercepted a acheronian fleet tanker successful the Atlantic past October," Wiese Bockmann added.

As antecedently reported by Fox News Digital, a 2nd vessel, the M. Sophia, was besides boarded successful planetary waters adjacent the Caribbean portion en way to Venezuela.

Fox News Digital has reached retired to the White House for comment.