Russia takes tanker pursued by US Coast Guard under protection
2.01.2026 - 11:30
The crew of the tanker Bella 1, which was heading to Venezuela and which the US military tried to stop in the Caribbean Sea, managed to obtain protection in Russia.
This is reported by The New York Times.
The publication notes that the Russian Federation officially appealed to the US State Department with a demand to stop the pursuit of the tanker, which was heading to the coast of Venezuela.
It should be noted that Washington considers the ship Bella 1 to be one that does not have an official flag, and therefore subject to arrest. The Russian side sent a corresponding request directly on New Year’s Eve, trying to protect the crew and cargo.
The US military tracked the tanker’s movements for two weeks from the moment it left the Iranian port. After an attempted landing in the Caribbean Sea, the ship’s crew painted a Russian flag on board. Subsequently, the ship appeared in the official Russian register under the new name Marinera with a port of registration in Sochi.
Despite this, the US continues to consider the vessel “illegal” because it did not have valid documents during the first inspection.
The tanker is known to have been under US sanctions since last year for transporting Iranian oil. Bella 1 is part of a fleet of tankers that transport oil from Russia, Iran and Venezuela, despite sanctions imposed by the US and other countries.
Earlier, the crew of the tanker, which was pursued by the US, painted a Russian flag on board.
