“The US stopped the seizure of the sanctioned tanker Bella 1 after the Russian tricolor appeared on it.”, — write: www.pravda.com.ua
Source: The New York Times with reference to American high-ranking officials
Details: According to US officials, US Coast Guard vessels have been chasing the large oil tanker for more than 10 days in the Atlantic Ocean for about half a mile (about 800 meters).
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The military has announced the full readiness of special forces to seize the ship by force, but they are waiting for the “green light” from the White House. The situation became complicated after the Russian tricolor was carelessly painted on the Bella 1 hull.
According to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, the coast guard can seize vessels if they are not state-owned or suspected of fraud. When the pursuit began, the US considered the Bella 1 a false flag vessel subject to a warrant of arrest.
Experts warn: if the ship really managed to be legally re-registered in Russia, the forceful option of seizure will become a diplomatic aggravation. Washington fears that Russia may have resorted to tricks and retroactively registered the vessel without inspections to provoke a conflict. Currently, the US is trying to find out the status of the tanker through diplomatic channels.
The Bella 1 tanker belongs to a Turkish company and has come under US sanctions for transporting Iranian oil in the interests of terrorist organizations, including Hezbollah, the Yemeni Houthis, and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The tanker is part of the so-called “shadow fleet” that transports sanctioned oil from Russia, Iran and Venezuela.
Prehistory:
- Last weekend, the tanker Bella 1 made a 180-degree turn to avoid inspection and went full speed off the coast of Venezuela.
- On December 17, US President Donald Trump announced a complete blockade of Venezuela’s oil tankers subject to sanctions.
- American troops, concentrated in the Caribbean, took full control of an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela on December 10.