A Russian intelligence vessel was spotted near a ship contracted by the American Shell Oil Company exploring for oil in the Arctic, sources told CNN on Monday.
The U.S. Northern Command was alerted to the Russian vessel’s presence on Sunday after the U.S. Coast Guard was first informed, the sources said.
The ship was part of a Shell-contracted ship that is exploring for oil in the Chukchi Sea, which is north of the Bering Strait and lies between Alaska and Russia.
American and foreign oil companies are racing against each other to strike oil in that region.