Bella-1

Avtandil Kalandadze, a Georgian national and the captain of the 'Marinera' (ex 'Bella 1') has been officially indicted in the USA. An indictment was filed on Feb 12. He was brought up on two charges,. One of the federal count was to be the use of a false flag, i.e., Guyana, when the U.S. first intercepted the vessel on Dec20 in the Caribbean. The second charge related to disobeying the commands from the U.S. Coast Guard to stop the tanker and allow U.S. forces to board the ship for an inspection. The U.S. was hailing the tanker daily on the radio, but the crew did not respond. The ship’s manager told the captain to turn around and head into the Atlantic. The Coast Guard first encountered the tanker when it was inbound to Venezuela to load a crude oil cargo. The vessel was operating under the false flag and had been sanctioned by the USA in June 2024 as the 'Bella 1' for its involvement with the Iranian oil trade. At the time, the tanker was registered in Panama, but it was removed from Panama’s registry in Oct 2024. The flag then went to Guyana and remained listed as such until it moved to Russia, while the U.S. was pursuing the tanker. But the vessel never reached a port to make the flag change official. The U.S. executed a seizure warrant for the tanker on Jan 7 and then took it to Scotland to replenish. The U.S., however, removed the crew from the tanker, and in a last-minute move, the wife of the captain filed with a Scottish court trying to block his removal from Scotland. While the case was in court, theU.S. removed him from the country overnight between Jan 26 and Jan 27 by placing him aboard the Coast Guard cutter 'Munro'. The U.S. was planning to also indict the chief mate of the tanker, whom it also continued to detain. It was unclear where he was. The other crew were told they were free to leave, and some returned home, although most of the Ukrainian crew went to third countries, fearing repercussions if they returned home from a ship that was claiming to be Russian. Five crew members have agreed to come to the USA to provide evidence in the case against the captain and the chief mate.

The USA were intending to prosecute the captain and first officer of the 'Marinera'. The captain, the Georgian national Avtandil Kalandadze, and his unnamed colleague were taken onboard the US Coastguard patrol vessel Munro on Jan 27. They remained in US custody following their lawful arrest for violation of US law since, and were to brought to the United States to face prosecution in a US court. The remaining 26 crew members have disembarked from the ship, and their repatriation was being handled in line with standard UK immigration and legal procedures.

The captain and first officer of the seized 'Marinera' have been removed from British jurisdiction by the US Coast Guard off Moray. The captain, a Georgian nation and first officer were taken from Scottish jurisdiction and transferred aboard the Coast Guard cutter 'Munro'. On Jan 26, a Scottish court had issued an interim order, which was prohibiting the removal of the captain from Scottish jurisdiction pending a full hearing. The order was later revoked after the court was informed that the captain had already been taken outside its jurisdiction. The lawyer representing the Captain's wife stated that the judicial review could no longer be enforced because his client’s husband had effectively been taken by the U.S. government while in Scottish and British jurisdiction. Upon U.S request, crew members were allowed to disembark and were to be processed according to applicable immigration and legal procedures. Five of the 26 crew members chose to travel to the USA; the remaining seafarers chose other arrangements to return to their home countries. The Russian Foreign Ministry reported on Jan 28, that two Russian sailors who were aboard the tanker, have been released and were now en route to Russia. The US authorities decided to release the two seafarers following an official request from Russia.

Captain Avtandil Kalandadze of the 'Marinera', who has been detained since Jan 7 after the tanker, formerly known as 'Bella 1', was boarded by the US military, may be on an American vessel set to leave UK waters, a court heard last night. The seized tanker was brought to the Moray Firth, near Burghead, to take on supplies. Kalandadze may already have been transferred to a US vessel which was planning to depart’, while 26 crew members were said to be detained in Inverness by the UK Border Force. The details were heard after Natia Dzadzama, wife of the Georgian captain, lodged a petition at the Court of Session in Edinburgh for a judicial review of the lawfulness of his detention. Lord Young passed an interim interdict preventing UK and Scottish authorities from removing Kalandadze from Scotland pending further court proceedings, but said he could not make an order against the US. Lawyers argued that the US government is attempting to bypass extradition processes to take him to America and that this would breach his human rights. Christopher Pirie, KC, for the UK Government, told the court the Government was unable to definitively confirm Kalandadze’s location. The information provided was that he has been transferred to a US Coast Guard vessel. The 'Marinera' remained anchored off Burghead. Mrs Dzadzama’s solicitor, Aamer Anwar, sought an emergency order to prevent the removal of the ship, captain and crew before a full hearing in the coming days.

The seized 'Marinera' has been escorted by a US Coast Guard ship and several UK tugs deep into Scottish waters, as it made its way into the Moray Firth in the north of Scotland on Jan 13. It was not yet known where the ship was heading. It has dropped anchor about three miles off Burghead in vicinity 57° 44.01' N 003° 29.61'W. At one time it was thought it may have been heading to Invergordon in the Cromarty Firth, but that now seemed unlikely. The supply vessel 'Kamarina' (IMO: 9499644) approached the tanker later in the afternoon. The tanker had entered UK waters to be replenished with essential supplies, including food and water for the crew. earlier today before it continues its onward journey. Reports with photos and video: https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/25762544.seized-russian-ship-marinera-escorted-scottish-waters/ https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/15796164/seized-russian-shadow-tanker-scotland/ https://news.stv.tv/scotland/oil-tanker-seized-by-us-spotted-off-scottish-coast

The United States has released two Russian crew members from the 'Marinera/Bella 1', which was previously seized by US forces in international waters. According to Washington, the tanker was part of a network transporting oil for the sanctions-hit regime of Nicolás Maduro. Pursuit and Flag Change. The ship initially sailed under a non-Russian flag, but changed its registration to the Russian flag during the pursuit in order to gain Russian protection. However, the US was undeterred and boarded the ship. The crew consisted of multiple nationalities. According to Russian authorities, at least two of them were Russian nationals.After they were released, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated: "We appreciate this decision on the American side and are grateful for their willingness to cooperate on humanitarian grounds." In an earlier statement, the Kremlin called the seizure of the ship "in violation of international maritime law" and called for respect for sovereignty and freedom of navigation. The Russian embassy in Washington had previously requested the release of the crew through diplomatic channels. US officials emphasized that the action was part of broader enforcement of sanctions against Venezuela and the companies or vessels involved The fate of the vessel itself has not yet been disclosed. The vessel was currently in international waters under US control. Its cargo of crude oil, destined for the Venezuelan state, may have been seized as evidence or to prevent sanctions violations.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry has condemned the seizure of the 'Marinera' in international waters of the North Atlantic by U.S. forces, calling it an “illegal use of force” that threatened to escalate military tensions in the Euro-Atlantic region. The tanker was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury in June 2024 for transporting oil on behalf of networks linked to Hezbollah and Iran’s IRGC-Qods Force and was operating without a legitimate flag when first approached, rendering it effectively stateless and therefore subject to interdiction. Panama’s maritime authority confirmed that the tanker’s registration with Panama Ship Registry was cancelled on Oct 7, 2024. Russia’s Foreign Ministry said the ship had been “temporarily authorised to fly the Russian flag on Dece24 in accordance with international and Russian law” and was “peacefully transiting international waters en route to a Russian port. Under these circumstances, the boarding and de facto seizure of a civilian vessel on the high seas by U.S. military personnel, along with the detention of its crew, can only be viewed as a gross violation of fundamental principles of international maritime law and freedom of navigation." Moscow has formally protested the pursuit of the 'Marinera' in recent weeks, demanding that U.S. forces end their tracking of the vessel and withdraw what it described as unlawful demands made to the ship’s master. Russia claimed it provided “reliable information” confirming the tanker’s Russian registration and civilian status and explicitly refused consent for any interdiction. The statement argued that international law grants flag states exclusive jurisdiction over vessels on the high seas, and that stopping ships is permitted only in limited cases such as piracy or slave trading, “neither of which apply to the Marinera.” U.S. officials have disputed that account, saying the reflagging was a last-minute attempt to evade enforcement. The U.S. European Command said the vessel was seized “pursuant to a warrant issued by a U.S. federal court” for alleged violations of U.S. sanctions related to prohibited oil trading. Russia dismissed U.S. reliance on domestic sanctions law as having “no legal foundation,” warning the incident could further destabilize maritime security and lower the threshold for the use of force against civilian shipping. Moscow has called on Washington to halt what it describes as unlawful actions and to ensure humane treatment of Russian citizens aboard the ship.

Russia has formally requested that the USA cease its pursuit of the 'Bella 1' in the Atlantic Ocean. The diplomatic request, was delivered late on Jan 1 to the State Department and the White House’s Homeland Security Council. American officials maintained the ship was flying a false flag when initially approached on Dec 20, making it a stateless vessel subject to boarding under international law. In a bid to claim protection, the crew painted a crude Russian flag on the vessel’s hull and radioed the Coast Guard claiming Russian authority. The ship subsequently appeared in Russia’s official Maritime Register of Shipping under the new name 'Marinera' with Sochi listed as its home port. Russia’s overnight flag registration validity remained unclear under international law. The vessel was carriying a new Russian MMSI number, though the identifier has not yet appeared in the International Telecommunication Union database, leaving its validity unconfirmed. The 'Bella' 1 had previously cycled through registrations in Panama, Palau, Liberia and the Marshall Islands registration.

The crew of the sanctioned 'Bella 1', bound for Venezuela, attempted a brazen ruse, painting a Russian flag on its hull and renaming the vessel 'Marinera' to claim Moscow's protection as the U.S. Coast Guard pursued the vessel on Dec. 21 as the US administration intensified its blockade of sanctioned vessels, part of an effort to choke off oil linked to Venezuela's government. The tanker turned away from Venezuelan waters and accelerated toward the open Atlantic. The AIS has been turned off since Dec. 17, and appeared to have changed course northwest, away from the Mediterranean, possibly heading toward Greenland or Iceland, The Coast Guard had tried to intercept the Bella 1 in the Caribbean after determining it was not flying a valid national flag, making it subject to boarding under international law. But the ship did not comply and continued sailing, and it has since been pursued by U.S. forces. A seizure warrant based on the vessel's previous involvement in the Iranian oil trade was obtained. The 'Bella 1' is part of a shadow fleet of tankers that are carrying oil from Russia, Iran, and Venezuela in violation of sanctions imposed by the U.S. and other countries.

The U.S. Coast Guard is waiting for additional forces to arrive before potentially attempting to board and seize the Venezuela-linked 'Bella 1', which has been pursued since Dec 21. The ship has refused to be boarded by the Coast Guard. That means that the task will likely fall to one of just two teams of specialists – known as Maritime Security Response Teams – who can board vessels under these circumstances, including by rappelling from helicopters. 

The United States has actively pursued the 'Bella 1' off the coast of Venezuela in international waters, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed on Dec 21, 2025. It was the third time in recent weeks that the United States has gone after a tanker near Venezuela amid a large U.S. military build-up in the region. The Americans attempted to board the tanker but failed, so they started to pursue it, while the tanker issued several distress calls. The 'Bella '1 transported Iranian oil, which is also subject to sanctions, but the situation remained unclear. The vessel is indeed sanctioned snf has been linked to Iran, and is listed by the International Maritime Organization as a vessel without a flag. Despite this, maritime tracking websites identified it as flying the Guyanese flag.

On June 10, 2024, the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced that the Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has sanctioned ten individuals, entities, and vessels, including two captains for illegally transporting sanctioned oil and other goods. The illegal activity included operations for the Sa'id al-Jamal network, Houthis Finance Facilitator. The OFAC has sanctioned the captain of the 'Olympics', formerly the 'Lady Sofia' (IMO: 9212759), a sanctioned vessel that continues transporting cargo for the Sa'id al-Jamal network. The OFAC stated that in mid-May, the tanker had used forged paperwork that falsely specified that the vessel was loaded with Malaysian cargo from a Malaysian Port at the end of April. Another sanction by OFAC was against the Captain of the 'La Pearl' (IMO: 9174660), also known as 'Elita', and her commercial manager is Saone Shipping Corporation, which is under sanction by the OFAC. The vessel offloaded the sanctioned cargo and is anchored off the China coast. On June 2, it sailed from Dongjiakou. The tanker 'Janet' (IMO: 9220952), actually en route from Malacca to Singapore with an ETA as of June 18, and 'Bella 1', which was anchoraed off Khor Fakkan as of June 12, were sanctioned for transporting sanctioned cargo for the Concepto Screen SAL Off Shore to southeast Asia. The OFAC has also sanctioned the registered owners of the tankers, the Lainey Shipping Ltd. and the Louis Marine Shipholding Enterprises S.A.

The 'Timimus' has been sold for around $31m. The 21-year-old tanker has changed hands for the fifth time in three years. In 2020, the ship was named 'Seaways Mulan' and sold for $23.5m by the US-based International Seaways to the Oia Shipping. The ship then changed hands to a Chinese outfit called Youfu Shipping which renamed the ship 'Xiao Zhu Shan'. It was then sold again to an undisclosed Hong Kong-registered outfit, and renamed 'Yannis'. It ended up with an outfit called Yangfan Ship Management.