Venezuela-linked tanker under US surveillance off Ireland after name change
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A Venezuela-linked oil tanker operating in the so-called “dark fleet” painted a Russian flag on its hull, changed its name and re-flagged Russia to evade the US Coast Guard, according to reports.
After the ship escaped US intervention in December, it was spotted off the coast of Ireland while the US, UK, France and Ireland reportedly carried out aerial surveillance. Times reported.
According to the intelligence report of the AI maritime analysis company, the tanker named Bella 1 changed its name to Marinera and registered under the Russian flag after escaping from the region. Windy.
“The stowaway Venezuelan merchant tanker Bella 1 painted a Russian flag on its hull, changed its name and re-flagged Russia midway through its voyage last week to avoid capture by the U.S. Coast Guard in the Atlantic Ocean,” Windward said. he said.
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The cruise tanker Bella 1 was in the Singapore Strait after US officials said the US Coast Guard was tracking an oil tanker in international waters near Venezuela. (via Hakon Rimmereid/Reuters)
Multiple reports said Tuesday that the ship is currently under U.S. military custody about 230 miles off the coast of Ireland.
According to reports, US P-8 surveillance planes were only able to track the tanker off the coast of Ireland in recent days.
CBS News US forces have been tracking the ship since December, Washington said, as it intensified sanctions against Venezuelan oil shipments.
Intelligence sources said Venezuela was considering placing military personnel on oil tankers disguised as civilians to help the ships escape the US blockade, and US forces were possibly preparing to intercept the tanker.
The pursuit of the ship followed attacks in Venezuela under the Trump administration and the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores on January 3.
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An oil tanker is seen docking in Venezuela’s Lake Maracaibo after loading crude oil from the port of the Bajo Grande Refinery. (Jose Bula Urrutia/UCG/Universal Images Group/Getty Images)
Maduro appeared in a New York court on Monday, where he pleaded not guilty to narco-terrorism charges and said he was a “prisoner of war.”
On January 1, Russia officially asked the United States to stop tracking the ship. Reuters.
Citing two people familiar with the matter, Reuters reported that Moscow made the diplomatic request as US forces continued to track the ship in the Atlantic for nearly two weeks.
Reuters added that the request came as Trump was simultaneously trying to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.
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Deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro (center) is seen in handcuffs, escorted by federal agents, as he moves towards an armored vehicle on his way to the federal courthouse in Manhattan, New York, on Monday. (XNY/Star Max/GC images via Getty Images)
TankerTrackers.com It claims that the ship previously transported millions of barrels of Iranian and Venezuelan crude oil to China between 2021 and 2025.
“Bella 1, now known as Marinera, is not alone,” Windward said.
The tanker has been under US Treasury sanctions since June 2024, accused of carrying illegal oil cargoes linked to a Hezbollah-linked company.
“The very large crude oil carrier joins a growing fleet of Western-certified tankers seeking protection under Russia’s national flag,” the firm added.
“Over the past six months, a dozen or more of the darkest tankers operating worldwide have switched from open registers to Russia. This trend accelerated in December as the flag state emerged as a critical shield against drone attacks and ship seizures.”
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It is claimed that the ship carried millions of barrels of Iranian and Venezuelan crude oil to China between 2021 and 2025. (Report via Planet Labs PBC/Reuters)
Windward also identified two other Western-certified tankers currently in Venezuelan waters that were sent back to Russia in recent days to prevent intervention by U.S. naval forces.
While the Hyperion tanker left Venezuela with the Russian flag on January 1, Premier signaled through AIS that it had changed its flag from Gambia to Russia on December 22.
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“The Premier is staying at the José Terminal in Venezuela,” Windward said.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the U.S. Coast Guard and the White House for comment.
