Russia has reportedly sent a submarine to escort an empty, rusting oil tanker that has been trying to evade the American blockade of sanctioned vessels near Venezuela, making it the latest flashpoint in US-Russia relations.
The oil tanker, previously known as the Bella 1, failed to dock in Venezuela and take an oil load, The Wall Street Journal reported. Despite it being an empty vessel, the US Coast Guard has been pursuing the ship into the Atlantic as part of its attempt to stop a fleet of tankers that transport illicit oil around the world, including black-market oil sold by Moscow.
The tanker’s crew thwarted an attempt by the US to board the vessel in December last year and headed into the Atlantic. However, since the Coast Guard continued to follow it, the crew painted a Russian flag on its side, changed its name to Marinera and altered its registration to reflect Russian ownership.
According to experts, Russia is concerned by the US seizures of tankers that ferry its illicit oil around the world and fuel its economy, WSJ reported. Experts have said that Russia’s move to allow tankers to register in Moscow without any formalities or inspection is, however, an unusual move.
Russia has also asked the US to stop pursuing the oil tanker near Venezuela, three US officials said.
The Russian foreign ministry said on Tuesday that it was monitoring “with concern” the situation regarding the tanker, state news agency RIA reported.
Meanwhile, the US military’s Southern Command said in a social media post on Tuesday that it was ready to “stand against sanctioned vessels and actors transitioning through this region”.
The Coast Guard is reportedly still following the oil tanker into the East Atlantic, where it is currently sailing about 300 miles south of Iceland toward the North Sea, WSJ reported, citing AIS positioning.
RT, Russia’s state-controlled foreign media outlet, posted a video, purportedly taken from the deck of the Marinera oil tanker, showing the US Coast Guard cutter following the vessel.
In a separate post, RT said that the US was trying to intercept the tanker, bound for Russia’s Murmansk, despite its “clear civilian status”.
Tensions over the tanker escalate against the backdrop of the US-Russia diplomatic back-and-forth on Ukraine, with the current situation threatening to further complicate the talks.
Russia has yet to accept the peace deal proposal presented by the US and Ukraine. On Saturday, Trump said, “I’m not thrilled with (Russian President Vladimir) Putin. He’s killing too many people.”
The US has already seized two massive crude carriers, the Skipper and the Centuries, which are part of the fleet that ferries illicit oil, with officials stating that more such seizures could come.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the resultant Western sanctions fueled the swift expansion of the fleet of over 1,000 tankers with vague ownership and no Western insurance, WSJ reported, citing some analysts.
These vessels reportedly use manipulative strategies to hide their role in oil shipping, like switching off their radio signals to make their movements confusing and transferring their cargo to other vessels in the least-monitored waters.
The majority of these tankers are more than 15 years old, raising concerns over possible oil spills and collisions.
Moscow has previously rejected the statements alleging that it uses a shadow fleet, calling the Western sanctions illegal.
According to the White House, when the US began pursuing the tanker, the Bella 1 was a stateless vessel with a false flag and subject to a judicial seizure order.
The US sanctioned the then-Bella 1 for allegedly ferrying black-market Iranian oil on behalf of US-designated terror organisations aligned with Iran.
However, the new Russian registration of the ship complicates Washington’s legal justification for boarding the vessel.
Retired Rear Adm. Fred Kenney, former director of legal affairs and external relations at the International Maritime Organisation, said that under international law, “once it’s legitimately registered, it gets the protection of the flag”.
“It’s not retroactive, you can’t say it was stateless two weeks ago, so we are going to say it is stateless now,” Kenney added.
Experts suggest that America’s move to forcibly board the oil tanker could open paths to Russian retaliation or from aligned nations like Iran.
“Will Russia step in and protect the dark fleet on a regular basis? That would undercut the argument that they have legitimate ties to the vessels,” WSJ reported, citing William Baumgartner, former judge advocate general and chief counsel for the Coast Guard.
Baumgartner added, “If they repeat this, it does raise the question of whether there is a legitimate change on the registry, or if it appears to be done for nefarious reasons.”