Maxim Karpenko, a crew member of the tanker Mariner, returned to Kerch on February 1 after the vessel was detained by U.S. military forces in the North Atlantic.
Karpenko described how U.S. military personnel had pursued the tanker for more than two weeks, with the crew mentally prepared for potential seizure amid escalating tensions involving ships from Venezuela. “They came and went, honked, and there were different maneuvers. Of course, we were preparing, and when we saw on the radar that there were already three steamers there, we realized that this was it…” he recounted. He added that the vessel was surrounded by nine helicopters, with American and British forces landing to capture it.
After the seizure, the crew of 28 spent 20 days in captivity off Scotland’s coast. Karpenko detailed sleeping on the floor, using vending machines as toilets, and bathing only once every four days. “They didn’t bully me when I asked for a pill (if I was unwell). The request for a consul was also ignored,” he stated.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova reported on January 28 that two Russian sailors from the Marinera crew had been released and were en route to Russia. The vessel, which was located approximately 200-300 km south of Iceland’s coast prior to capture, was heading toward Murmansk.
