By Kevin Liptak, CNN
(CNN) — Crew members aboard the aging, rusted oil tanker that the US has been pursuing at sea for nearly two weeks appear to have painted a crude image of a Russian flag on the ship’s hull, which American officials believe is an attempt at claiming Russian protection, a US official familiar with the matter said.
The new insignia was spotted by Coast Guard personnel, who are trailing the tanker from about a half-mile behind as it sails in the open Atlantic Ocean away from Venezuela, the official said.
It wasn’t clear when the new flag appeared on the side of the Bella 1. The massive tanker has been resisting seizure since December 21, when it made a U-turn in the Caribbean Sea after the Coast Guard attempted to interdict it on its way into Venezuela to pick up oil.
It’s been fleeing ever since.
The flag, which the US official said was sloppily painted on the side of the ship by its crew, was the latest development in the slow-speed pursuit of the vessel, which is under US sanctions for allegedly shipping Iranian oil. The New York Times first reported the new flag.
US officials said the Bella 1 was flying under the flag of Guyana, which they said was not valid, when the Coast Guard originally tried to board it. Its current registration is listed as “not known” on the shipping database Equasis. By claiming Russian status, the legalities of seizing the vessel could become more complicated.
American officials no longer expect the Bella 1 to return to Venezuela to load up with oil, and it’s possible the Trump administration will decide to abandon its effort to seize the ship.
But until then, assets have been readied in case the order comes from the White House to reattempt a seizure of the tanker. That would require a Maritime Special Response Team with experience in boarding vessels that do not submit to seize control of it.
The pursuit stems from Trump’s order of a “blockade” on sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers. Administration officials believe squeezing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s main economic lifeline is the best path to potentially ousting the authoritarian leader.
Officials aren’t sure why the crew of the Bella 1 did not stop the ship and submit to the Coast Guard’s efforts to interdict it, as two previous oil tankers did this month.
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