Bella 1 tanker pursued by U.S. has switched to Russian registration. This could complicate its detention, media report.
An oil tanker that has been trying to evade the U.S. Coast Guard in the Atlantic Ocean since December 15 was suddenly officially renamed and switched its registration to Russia. This could complicate the vessel’s detention.
Censor.NET reports this, citing Insider and The New York Times.
What is known
The U.S. Coast Guard has been trying to intercept the oil tanker, which was heading to load oil from Venezuela, for the past two weeks.
It is reported that when U.S. forces approached the vessel, it was not flying a valid national flag. This effectively made it a stateless ship, which, under international law, can be boarded at sea.
U.S. authorities obtained an arrest warrant that would allow them to detain the vessel. The warrant was sought due to Bella 1’s prior involvement in trading Iranian oil, rather than its links to Venezuela.
Renaming the tanker
However, the ship did not comply with the order to allow boarding and continued on its way. A source described the situation as an "active pursuit" of the oil tanker. The vessel then began transmitting distress signals to nearby ships, sending almost a hundred alerts.
- On December 30, it emerged that a Russian flag had been crudely painted on the ship’s side, apparently in an attempt to seek protection from Moscow. On December 31, the tanker was officially renamed from Bella 1 to Marinera and registered in Russia. Its port of registry is Sochi.
The NYT writes that Russian registration could complicate U.S. efforts to board the vessel. Russia’s position on the ship is unclear.
Russia’s embassy in Washington did not respond to journalists’ request for comment. The White House, the Pentagon and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security also did not respond to inquiries.
