US-tracked tanker reflags to Russia and changes name — NYT
Photo: The tanker pursued by the US was registered in Russia and renamed (Getty Images)
An oil tanker that attempted to flee from the US Coast Guard by painting a Russian flag on its hull has been officially renamed and entered into Russia's State Register of Ships, The New York Times reports.
According to information from the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping, the vessel, previously identified as Bella 1, is now registered under the name Marinera. The documents state that the tanker now flies the Russian flag and is registered in the city of Sochi.
As the agency notes, the change of flag creates a legal conflict. According to international law, ships sailing under the flag of a particular state are under its jurisdiction and protection. However, the tanker's attempts to evade US justice by changing its registration retrospectively may prove fruitless.
US officials said that at the time of the pursuit more than a week ago, the ship was flying a false flag and did not have a legitimate registration, and therefore did not enjoy Russian protection.
This, according to the US, makes it a neutral vessel — without nationality, subject to inspection under international law.
According to information from the International Maritime Organization, the tanker was previously registered in Panama, Palau, Liberia, and the Marshall Islands.
The tanker belongs to the Turkish company Louis Marine Shipholding Enterprises and is part of the so-called shadow fleet that transports sanctioned oil from Russia, Iran, and Venezuela.
US halts seizure of oil tanker after Russian flag appears onboard
Yesterday, December 31, the US Coast Guard suspended the operation to seize the sanctioned oil tanker Bella 1 after the Russian flag appeared on board.
US Coast Guard vessels have been pursuing a large oil tanker in the Atlantic Ocean for more than 10 days, keeping a distance of about half a mile (approximately 800 meters).
The military said that special forces were fully prepared to seize the ship by force, but were waiting for the green light from the White House. The situation became more complicated after the Russian flag was carelessly painted on the hull of Bella 1.
According to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Coast Guard can seize ships if they do not have a nationality or are suspected of fraud. When the pursuit began, the US considered Bella 1 to be a ship flying a false flag, subject to a court order for arrest.
The Bella 1 tanker is owned by a Turkish company and has been subject to US sanctions for transporting Iranian oil on behalf of terrorist organizations, including Hezbollah, the Yemeni Houthis, and Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The tanker is part of the so-called shadow fleet that transports sanctioned oil from Russia, Iran, and Venezuela.
