The escape has taken an unexpected turn in the midst of the United States campaign to suffocate crude oil trade between Venezuela and its allies. According to information published this Tuesday by The New York Timesthe ship’s crew painted a Russian flag on the hull as it continued its escape from US forces pursuing it on the high seas. The measure is interpreted as an attempt to claim protection from Moscow and make a possible seizure difficult, which
The episode began on December 21, when the United States Coast Guard tried to intercept the Bella 1 in the Caribbean Sea. The ship was sailing towards Venezuela with the intention of loading oil, which placed it directly in the crosshairs of the most recent pressure policy promoted by President Donald Trump against the Government of Nicolás Maduro. The battered Venezuelan economy relies heavily on oil sales, which are the Chavista regime’s main source of income, and since early December the United States has intensified its efforts to cut off that source of financing.
According to US officials informed of the operation and cited by the Timeshe Bella 1 It was not flying a valid national flag at the time of the initial interception attempt, which, under international law, made it susceptible to inspection. However, the crew did not comply with Coast Guard orders and continued sailing, starting a chase that has continued ever since. It was in the course of that escape that the sailors painted a Russian flag and began to present themselves as a ship under Russian status, according to the same sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
He Bella 1 It has been under US sanctions since last year for its involvement in the transportation of Iranian crude oil, an activity that the United States claims serves to finance terrorism. Furthermore, the tanker is part of the so-called , a network of vessels that operate outside of international sanctions to move oil from Russia, Iran and Venezuela. The ship’s crew is made up mostly of citizens of Russia, India and Ukraine.
Although eight days of pursuit in the ocean have already been completed, the attempt to intercept the Bella 1 It has not yet led to an approach. Although the vessel does not have the ability to escape US Coast Guard vessels, its capture requires specialized equipment capable of securing a moving ship with a potentially hostile crew. On the other hand, it is not common for civilian oil tankers to flee from this type of operations. In fact, the other two ships recently intercepted near Venezuela agreed to be boarded without resistance.
According to what was reported, the US authorities claim to have obtained a judicial seizure order based on the previous participation of the Bella 1 in the Iranian oil trade. However, the ship’s location transponder has been turned off since December 17, which has made it impossible to track it accurately. Still, U.S. officials believe the tanker has recently altered its course toward the northwest, away from the Mediterranean and possibly heading toward the North Atlantic toward Greenland or Iceland. The ship is not believed to be carrying cargo at this time.
The official reaction has been cautious. The White House, the Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security have declined to comment publicly on the case, while the Russian embassy in Washington has not responded to media requests for information. A US official consulted by the EFE agency confirmed that the vessel was “flying a false flag” and that it was “under a judicial seizure order.”
and confiscated the crude oil it was transporting. Days later, by the US Government, further reinforcing pressure on Maduro, whom Washington also accuses of leading a drug trafficking network.
This maritime offensive against the oil tankers is part of a broader strategy. From that moment on, the United States has mobilized and reinforced an enormous military deployment in the Caribbean, on the limits of Venezuelan waters, and has destroyed some 30 alleged drug boats. The military deployment, the attacks on vessels linked to drug trafficking, the de facto blockade of crude oil exports and, as recently revealed, the attack on a pier last week, which left no people dead, are all elements of the confrontation between Trump and Maduro, which only intensifies month by month.
Pressure has also intensified in the area of financial sanctions. The Treasury Department announced on Tuesday Among those sanctioned is the National Aeronautics Company and its president, José Jesús Urdaneta González, whom Washington accuses of collaborating with the Venezuelan and Iranian armed forces in the assembly of drones in Venezuelan territory.
In this context of maximum tension, the escape of Bella 1 It exemplifies the convoluted and complex situation between Washington and Caracas—where they are also key actors—and adds the remote waters of the Atlantic as the most recent scene of the confrontation.
