US moves captain of Venezuela-linked tanker out of British jurisdiction

The captain of a Venezuela-linked crude oil tanker seized by the US this month has been taken from British territorial waters and is now aboard a US Coast Guard vessel, a lawyer for the captain's wife said on Tuesday.

The US Coast Guard and US military special forces, bearing a judicial seizure warrant, apprehended the Russian-flagged Marinera in the Atlantic near Iceland on January 7 after pursuing it for more than two weeks as part of Washington's efforts to block Venezuelan oil exports.

After its capture, the tanker was moved to a location off the coast of Scotland.

Despite legal attempts to stop their removal, Captain Avtandil Kalandadze, a Georgian, and the boat's first officer were taken from Scottish jurisdiction to the US Coast Guard vessel Munro, Aamer Anwar, the lawyer for Kalandadze's wife, Natia Dzadzama, said.