Oil tanker fleeing from the USA, the crew paints a Russian flag on the hull. And Moscow inserts it into its database

Crew members on board the old and rusty oil tanker that he United States have been chasing at sea for nearly two weeks have painted an image of a Russian flag on the vessel’s hull, which American officials believe is an attempt to claim Russian protection. The sign was spotted by Coast Guard personnel, who are tracking the tanker from about a half-mile away as it sails in the open Atlantic Ocean, away from Venezuela.

The Russian flag on the side of the Bella 1

It is unclear when the new flag appeared on the side of the Bella 1.

The huge tanker has resisted seizure since December 21, when it made a “U-turn” in the Caribbean Sea after the Coast Guard attempted to intercept it as it headed to Venezuela to load oil. He has been on the run ever since.

The flag, which a US official quoted by CNN said was painted roughly on the side of the ship by the crew, is the latest development in the low-speed pursuit of the vessel, which is under US sanctions for allegedly carrying Iranian oil. The New York Times was the first to report the news of the new flag.

The yellow of the Guyana flag

U.S. officials said the Bella 1 was flying the Guyana flag, which they said was invalid, when the Coast Guard initially attempted to board it. Claiming Russian status, the legal aspects of seizing the vessel may now become more complicated. Especially after the tanker was formally renamed as “Marinera” and added to the official Russian database of vessels registered in that country. The database indicates that the ship flies the Russian flag and has Sochi as its home port.

American officials no longer expect the Bella 1 to return to Venezuela to load oil, and it is possible that the Trump administration will decide to abandon its attempt to seize the ship. But until then, resources have been prepared in case the order comes from the White House to attempt to seize the tanker again. This would require a Special Maritime Intervention Team with experience boarding non-submitting vessels to take control of them.

Because the ship didn’t give up

Authorities aren’t sure why the Bella 1’s crew didn’t stop the vessel and surrender to Coast Guard efforts to intercept it, as two other tankers have done this month. The pursuit stems from Trump’s order to “block” sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers. Administration officials believe that straining Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s main economic asset is the best path to ousting the leader. The US Treasury Department on Wednesday sought to increase pressure on Venezuela’s oil sector by sanctioning four more oil companies and designating four oil tankers as “stranded property.” According to the Treasury Department, two of the four blocked tankers were flagged in Hong Kong, while the other two were flagged in Guinea and Panama.