BREAKING! US special forces board tanker in North Atlantic

[Maxmars]

I've been thinking about the idea that they were empty.

It may be considered somewhat satisfactory to have removed more illegal transport assets from those who have them... even if only to restore them to the Venezuelan people... 

the "Maritime" ownership shuffle seems more important to address...

[DontTreadOnMe]

I thought it was reported to be empty when boarded.

Russian subs protecting an empty vessel?
I suppose that is possible.

[DontTreadOnMe]

Seems to make the reason for the raid even more mysterious.

If she was not carrying oil, then what was she ferrying around, and why board her now?

I suppose it could simply be because she evaded the naval blockade.

And changed her name.
And painted a different country flag [Russia].
Do we even know who owns the ship......

And I really haven't heard much about the 2nd ship.
Other news taking over now.

[angelchemuel]

Spit balling here...... maybe Russia wanted to know who owned the ship too?
Anyway, apparently us Brits are going to be shadowing Putin's navy now.
Rainbows
Jane

[andy06shake]

And changed her name.
And painted a different country flag [Russia].
Do we even know who owns the ship......

And I really haven't heard much about the 2nd ship.
Other news taking over now.

Whoever owns the vessel.

I think health and safety.

Might want a quick word in their shell...

[ANNEE]

You can tell it was empty by looking at it.  Riding high in the water..

I was thinking that also.

[IgnorantGod]

The US has been shadowing that ship for two weeks or so.   
It changed names, they painted a Russian flag on the hull.

I cannot imagine Russian subs would protect an empty ship.
And what, besides drugs or oil does Venezuela have to sell?

I can't say with certainty, but humans, maybe?

Lot of countries have those alright, but I'd assume some have less 'checks' in regards to their population.

[andy06shake]

I can't say with certainty, but humans, maybe?

Lot of countries have those alright, but I'd assume some have less 'checks' in regards to their population.

The problem being oil tankers have enormous internal volume.

But it's all divided into cargo tanks designed for oil, not people.

So no ventilation, lighting, sanitation, or air conditioning.

Then there would be the fact that the tanks might be full of toxic fumes and residues from god knows what's been transported in that hunk of junk beforehand...

[rickymouse]

I am pretty sure that there is plenty of evidence of this tanker doing something wrong, because I don't think that England would have given an ok to the US to use their bases to front the operation if there was no good evidence to show what went on.

But why was that ship going towards Russia is my question?

[angelchemuel]

I've had a suspicion for quite some time that the illegal migrants crossing the channel are just a deflection to a certain extent.
I remember reading a story some time ago by a man in Cornwall who would regularly see a trawler type boat not far off the Cornish coast. The man would take the clifftop path home late at night after finishing his shift. The trawler would launch one of thise dinghy's full of men. It would land in the small cove below the cliffs and a white van would appear and drive off with the men. The dinghy then returned to the trawler. 
He saw this on a number of occasions and reported it to the coast guard and police. Nobody did a darn thing about it.
I agree with Andy, you're not going to haul any substantial ammount of people inside the hold of a tanker. However, that doesn't mean it might not have had part of it modified. Yet again, it would be a pretty expensive way just to transport a few illegal migrants.
It originally went to Venezuela from Iran. Did it actually dock and discharge 'anything' in Venezuela, or was it loading up with 'something'?
Rainbows
Jane