The ship undertook multiple efforts to hide its identity before its seizure on 7 January off the coast of Iceland.

On Wednesday, 7 January, the US military said it captured the vessel, previously named Bella 1, following a weeks-long pursuit across the Atlantic.

The Royal Air Force and Royal Navy provided support for the Marinera's seizure, according to the Ministry of Defence, including the provision of state-of-the-art refuelling ship RFA Tideforce.

Flight tracking data showed several US aircraft, including US Air Force special operations, arriving and leaving RAF bases and UK airports in the hours prior to the seizure.

Sky News analysis shows the tanker's journey from Iran over nearly two months and its apparent attempts to evade detection.

How the Marinera's voyage unfolded

Ship-tracking AIS location data from 3 September placed the tanker approximately 9km from the Strait of Hormuz, according to Global Fishing Watch.

However, the satellite image below, also taken on 3 September, shows Bella 1 more than 700km away.

It was stationed at Kharg Island, Iran's primary oil export facility, where analytics company Kpler says it loaded crude oil.

The discrepancy between the AIS data and the satellite imagery suggests the tanker was providing a fake signal to hide its location, a practice known as "spoofing".

The ship's signal was restored once it had left Iranian waters, and on 13 November it began its journey.

The AIS data later shows the tanker at Egypt's Suez South anchorage, where it remained between 23 and 26 November.

The Suez region is a major transport route for oil and gas. Oil can be offloaded at the Suez South anchorage, primarily through ship-to-ship transfers or pipeline systems.

Sky News cannot confirm whether the Bella 1 offloaded oil here.

We can be confident that the tanker was here on these dates because vessels in the area are required to transmit accurate locations.

On 3 December, the ship passed through another area with mandatory location reporting, the Strait of Gibraltar, before continuing its journey across the Atlantic.

It was last spotted by AIS systems on 17 December in the Caribbean, near Antigua and Barbuda.

Reports suggest that the US Coast Guard attempted to board the tanker on the 20 December, stating that the United States had a seizure warrant and that the vessel was not flying a valid national flag.

Under international law, vessels are required to be registered under a particular country, and this country is relied upon for protection.

The Bella 1 was flying the flag of Guyana, but the US said it had not actually registered with the country.

Sky News analysis has found that 40 sanctioned tankers are currently flying the Guyanese flag, despite not one of them being actually registered in Guyana.

One day after the US Coast Guard reportedly attempted to board the Bella 1, it was recorded making 39 distress calls between 12.26pm and 17.13pm.

These distress calls helped us locate the primary position of the tanker that day, which was just over 500km from the coast of Antigua and Barbuda, shown on the map below.

When the ship next appeared, on 1 January, it had travelled more than 3,000 km to the North Atlantic, changed its name to "Marinera" and adopted a Russian flag.

Sky News analysis found that at least 21 other sanctioned oil tankers have also changed their flags to Russia in the past month.

That's more than changed flags during the whole of 2024.

Five ships changed to Russian flags in just two days following the first seizure of a Venezuela-linked tanker by the US on 10 December.

Of the 22 tankers that have adopted Russian flags in the past month, at least 11 have previously visited both Venezuelan and Russian ports.

The seizure of the Marinera

By 7 January, the Marinera was passing between Iceland and Scotland, escorted by a Russian submarine according to reports in the Wall Street Journal.

Shipping analytics company Windward said the ship was likely heading for the Russian arctic port of Murmansk.

At around 11.26am, the Marinera made a sudden southbound turn. It was later seen at 1.18pm, heading east towards Scotland, according to data shared by TankerTrackers.

At 1.43pm, the US European Command announced it had seized the vessel for violations of US sanctions.

Speaking to Sky News, Mark Cancian, a senior advisor on defence and security at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), said that the helicopters used to board the Marinera were short-ranged.

"Either they came from the US air base on Keflavik, in which case the Icelandic government had to agree, or from a sea platform like the Special Ops mothership," he said.

Following the seizure, Russia's transport ministry issued a statement saying that the act had violated maritime law.

"In accordance with the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, freedom of navigation applies in waters on the high seas, and no state has the right to use force against vessels duly registered in the jurisdictions of other states," the statement read.

The transport ministry also confirmed that Russia had granted the tanker a temporary permit to fly its flag.

The US also announced that it had seized another tanker, M/T Sophia, shortly after announcing the capture of Marinera. US Southern Command stated that the vessel had been "conducting illicit activities" in the Caribbean Sea.

The United States has now seized at least four sanctioned tankers linked to Venezuela, following the capture of vessels Skipper and Centuries in December last year.

The Data and Forensics team is a multi-skilled unit dedicated to providing transparent journalism from Sky News. We gather, analyse and visualise data to tell data-driven stories. We combine traditional reporting skills with advanced analysis of satellite images, social media and other open source information. Through multimedia storytelling we aim to better explain the world while also showing how our journalism is done.

In a statement, Joshua Johnson's family said they had been through an "unimaginable" ordeal.

The 18-year-old died following a collision in Rotherham on 13 December.

South Yorkshire Police (SYP) initially identified the victim as 17-year-old Trevor Wynn, alongside a teenage girl who was also killed in the collision on Todwick Road.

Mr Johnson, meanwhile, was under sedation in hospital, the force had said.

But now SYP has referred itself to the police watchdog after "information came to light" which revealed it was actually Mr Johnson who died, and Mr Wynn who remained in hospital.

"That information was, in fact, the patient waking up and saying, 'I'm Trevor'," Sky News correspondent Emma Birchley explained.

Further checks, including forensic testing, confirmed a mistake had been made.

In a tribute released via police, Mr Johnson's family said: "What we have been through and are continuing to go through is unimaginable.

"From the moment we were told about the collision in December, ourselves and many loved ones have spent hours in hospital with who we now know to be Trevor.

"We never wanted him to be alone. Only those we shared this time could understand how this went on for so long."

Mr Johnson's family said he was "a loveable, gentle giant".

"Whilst he was 18 and exploring his independence, he was ever so genuine in his care for others - us, his brother, his grandparents, his extended family, and his many friends," they added.

"Neither us nor Josh's brother can imagine life without him, and as we adjust to this new world and only just begin our journey with grief, we ask that our privacy is respected," the statement concluded.

Assistant Chief Constable Colin McFarlane said the mix-up came as "a huge shock to everyone, and we recognise the additional trauma this may cause".

He continued: "We are supporting Trevor and all the families through this and have engaged specialist agencies to help provide that support.

"I have also offered to meet with both sets of parents, as I am sure they will have many questions, most of which we are not able to answer yet, but we are absolutely committed to understanding how this happened so it cannot happen again.

"We have taken the decision to refer ourselves to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

"We will co-operate fully with any subsequent investigation and will be led by the IOPC on the next steps to determine how this happened, and how we can ensure this never happens again in the future."

An 18-year-old has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving, and a 19-year-old has also been arrested on suspicion of perverting the course of justice. Both remain on bail pending further enquiries.

The former England forward and manager, 74, was recently admitted to hospital due to "ongoing abdominal symptoms", a statement said.

"These investigations have revealed a diagnosis of cancer, for which Kevin will undergo treatment," it added.

"Kevin is grateful to the medical team for their intervention and ongoing care.

"During this difficult time, the family are requesting privacy, and will be making no further comment."

Newcastle United wished Keegan "a full and speedy recovery" and said: "King Kev. We're with you every step of the way."

Liverpool FC also posted on X saying: "The thoughts and support of everyone at Liverpool FC and Forever Reds are with Kevin Keegan after he was diagnosed with cancer."

Keegan is closely associated with the Premier League teams Liverpool and Newcastle, the latter he both played for and managed, twice, and is affectionately known as "King Kev" for his footballing exploits.

Keegan won three First Division titles while a player at Liverpool as well as an FA Cup, two Charity Shields, two UEFA Cups and the European Cup.

He also had stints at Southampton, Scunthorpe and for Hamburger SV in Germany.

He won 63 England caps, scoring 21 goals, playing at the 1982 World Cup and was also later captain of the national team.

Keegan was twice named European Footballer of the Year while at Hamburg and returned to England to play for Southampton and Newcastle before retiring as a player in 1984.

He became England manager in 1999, having initially taken on the job following Glenn Hoddle's departure.

Having overseen a disappointing Euro 2000 campaign, Keegan resigned on the back of defeat by Germany at Wembley Stadium, the last match at the national stadium before it was rebuilt.

His last managerial job was his fairytale return to Newcastle United in 2008 but he quickly fell out with then owner Mike Ashley and eventually won a constructive dismissal lawsuit against the club.

Newcastle United went on to be relegated that season.

It follows Aberdeenshire Council declaring a major incident on Tuesday after the Met Office issued an amber weather warning for heavy snow covering much of Aberdeenshire and northeast Scotland.

While temperatures were expected to be slightly warmer on Wednesday, more sleet and snow were expected across northern Scotland, and the Met Office said thicker cloud with rain was expected to arrive across Northern Ireland, southwest Wales and southwest England later in the day.

Thursday was then expected to see a cloudy and cold start before Storm Goretti, named by French meteorological service, Meteo France, comes in from the South West.

Follow live: Weather and Storm Goretti updates

Sky News meteorologist Dr Christopher England said the "exact storm track is a little uncertain" but the "most likely scenario is heavy rain spreading from the southwest on Thursday turning to snow from around Wales across to East Anglia".

He said "significant falls" were likely, along with "severe gales around southern coasts".

The weather warning came as the UK was dealing with the impact of the cold.

In Chilmington, Ashford, a bus carrying schoolchildren crashed in Kent after slipping on black ice. There were no reported injuries.

Later, in Berkshire, a school coach collided with a bus in Reading due to "very icy" road conditions. Nine children, the driver of the coach and eight adults from the bus suffered minor injuries, according to the South Central Ambulance.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has extended its amber cold health alert across England until midday on Sunday.

Many places in Aberdeenshire saw up to a foot (30cm) of snow, with conditions causing difficulty for health services.

The location which saw the most was Tomintoul in Moray, which the Met Office recorded as seeing a depth of 46cm (18ins) at 9am on Wednesday.

Aberdeenshire Council said that it expects a "prolonged period of significant impacts" over the weather.

Check the latest weather forecast where you are

New weather warnings issued by Met Office

The Met Office has issued two yellow warnings snow and ice for the rest of Wednesday.

Thursday sees eight yellow warnings and two amber warnings.

There is a yellow warning for snow and ice in place until midday on Thursday in Scotland, a warning for ice in place across Northern Ireland until 10am on Thursday, and an amber warning for wind in Cornwall until 11pm on Thursday.

Most of the other warnings continue from Thursday into Friday.

There is a yellow warning for snow across the Midlands, most of Wales, part of northern England and parts of the South West until midday on Friday. In parts of this area, the warning is upgraded to amber until 9am on Friday.

There are yellow warnings for rain in place in West Wales until 10am on Friday and East Anglia until 9pm on Friday.

There is a warning for wind across the South West until 6am on Friday, with Dartmoor and Exmoor under a snow warning until 9am on the same day.

The Met Office warned that in where rain associated with Storm Goretti turns to snow, which is likely to be "initially on hills and then to lower levels overnight... accumulations of 10-15 cm are likely fairly widely, with the potential for 20-30 cm in some locations, mainly on hills above 200m elevation, more especially in Wales and/or the Peak District".

Hundreds of schools were shut in Shetland, Orkney, and Aberdeenshire.

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National Rail said heavy snow was causing disruption to services across northern Scotland and because of Storm Goretti, anyone travelling anywhere in England, Scotland or Wales before Friday was strongly advised to check their full journey before they travel.

Meanwhile, ice climbing instructor Mick Ellerton was able to scale a waterfall in Gordale Scar, near Malham Cove in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, which had frozen over completely.

And animals at the Highland Kincraig Wildlife Park, including polar bears and snow leopards, were able to enjoy conditions their breeds are more accustomed to as the heavy snow fell in the region.

A judge agreed to Alan Jackson's request to exit the case during a Los Angeles Superior Court hearing on Wednesday, at which Nick Reiner, 32, was expected to be arraigned and enter a plea.

The hearing took place roughly three weeks after actor-director Rob Reiner and his wife of 36 years, Michele Singer Reiner, were found dead with stab wounds in their upscale home in Los Angeles.

Mr Jackson said "circumstances beyond our control' were behind the move, without providing specifics.

He said he is "legally and ethically prohibited from explaining all the reasons" behind his decision, adding he expects Reiner's public defender to "step in and very capably protect Nick Reiner's interests".

"We know the legal process will reveal the true facts of the circumstances surrounding this case," Mr Jackson said.

Deputy public defender Kimberly Greene has now taken over as Nick Reiner's lawyer, and the judge has delayed the arraignment until 23 February.

Ms Greene said she spoke to Reiner briefly on Wednesday morning to alert him of the change in his counsel.

She said Reiner was "understanding" of the situation.

During a brief court appearance, Reiner spoke only to agree to the delay.

He stood behind glass in a custody area of the courtroom, wearing a brown jail suit with his hair shaved.

At one point, Reiner stood on his tiptoes to peek over the lawyers' heads and look at the audience.

Read more from Sky News:
Football legend Kevin Keegan diagnosed with cancer
Storm Goretti to hit with more heavy snow

Nathan Hochman, district attorney for Los Angeles County, said his office will ensure Reiner's new lawyer receives "all the facts necessary to effectively represent their client".

"I'm fully confident that a jury will convict Nick Reiner beyond reasonable doubt of the brutal murder of his parents... and do so unanimously."

Mr Hochman said the charges against Reiner carry a maximum sentence of the death penalty.

Execution is a legal punishment in several US states, including California, where Nick Reiner was arrested and will be tried.

The Reiner family released a statement following the change of legal representation. A spokesperson said: "They have the utmost trust in the legal process and will not comment further on matters related to the legal proceedings."

Rob Reiner, 78, and wife Michele Singer Reiner, 70, were killed early on the morning of 14 December in their home in the upscale Brentwood section of Los Angeles.

Authorities said they were found in the late afternoon and died from "multiple sharp force injuries".

Before picking up the Reiner case, Alan Jackson had represented high-profile clients, including convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein during his 2022 trial.

Mr Jackson also defended Kevin Spacey in a 2019 sexual assault case, in which the actor faced allegations of groping an 18-year-old man.

The charges were subsequently dropped by prosecutors.