The crew of the Bella 1 oil tanker has painted a Russian flag on the vessel’s hull and declared Russian status as the ship continues to evade US Coast Guard forces more than a week after the pursuit began in Caribbean waters, according to American officials who spoke to The New York Times.
The 300,000-ton supertanker has evaded Coast Guard interception attempts since December 21, when the vessel refused to stop for boarding as it approached Venezuelan waters. The ship changed course and continued sailing into the Atlantic Ocean, CNN reported.
US officials continue to track the empty tanker through international waters using Coast Guard cutters and surveillance aircraft. The White House designated the Bella 1 as a “dark fleet vessel” operating under false registration, with a judicial order authorizing seizure.
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The Bella 1 is the third vessel targeted since President Donald Trump ordered a blockade of sanctioned tankers entering and leaving Venezuela earlier this month. The Coast Guard successfully seized two other vessels — the Skipper on December 10 and the Centuries — both of which complied with boarding orders, unlike the Bella 1.
Authorities are considering deploying a Maritime Special Response Team to board the vessel by force, though officials told CNN they might abandon the effort. The tanker has faced US sanctions since last year for allegedly transporting Iranian oil linked to Iranian-backed groups and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The pursuit has drawn international scrutiny, with Reuters reporting that specialized boarding teams will likely handle any forced interception. Venezuela’s National Assembly has moved to criminalize what it describes as piracy and blockades at sea.
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