"The ship, formerly known as the Bella 1, has spent more than two weeks attempting to evade a US blockade of sanctions-hit oil tankers operating near Venezuela. Ship-tracking data from MarineTraffic showed the vessel nearing Iceland's exclusive economic zone on Wednesday. The ship began its journey in Iran and was bound for Venezuela to pick up oil, part of the so-called shadow fleet that moves oil for Russia, Iran and Venezuela despite US and allied sanctions."
"In December, the vessel's crew repelled an attempted US boarding near Venezuelan waters before abruptly changing course and heading into the Atlantic. The tanker was renamed Marinera, with its crew hastily painting a Russian flag on the hull, and it was added to an official Russian shipping registry. Moscow subsequently lodged a formal diplomatic protest demanding that Washington halt its pursuit."
Russia dispatched a submarine and other naval vessels to escort a shadow-fleet oil tanker being pursued by the US across the Atlantic. The ship, formerly Bella 1 and renamed Marinera, sailed from Iran toward Venezuela to collect oil before changing course into the Atlantic. Ship-tracking data showed the vessel nearing Iceland's exclusive economic zone and it is believed to be heading for Murmansk. In December the crew repelled an attempted US boarding near Venezuelan waters, painted a Russian flag on the hull, and added the tanker to a Russian registry. The US Treasury sanctioned the vessel in July 2024 over alleged illicit cargo links to a company tied to Hezbollah; Moscow lodged a diplomatic protest.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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