US to prosecute captain of seized oil tanker

The United States says it intends to prosecute the captain and first officer of a Russian-flagged tanker which it seized in the North Atlantic.

American authorities took control of the Marinera on 7 January south of Iceland before escorting it to Scotland's Moray coast.

The captain, Georgian national Avtandil Kalandadze, and an unnamed colleague were taken onboard the US coastguard vessel Munro on Tuesday.

In a statement, the US Embassy in London told BBC News that two members of the crew "remain in US custody following their lawful arrest for violation of US law."