Tanker pursued by US Coast Guard renamed and registered in Russiapublished at 13:13 GMT
13:13 GMT
Kayleen Devlin
BBC Verify senior journalist
Media caption,
Ros Atkins on… the oil tanker being pursued by the US
A tanker the White House says is being pursued by the US Coast Guard has been renamed and is now registered in Russia, according to the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping, external.
The US began pursuing Bella 1 – which is now called Marinera – off the coast of Venezuela having put sanctions on it late last year, for allegedly transporting Iranian oil.
The US has previously seized two tankers in the southern Caribbean as it puts pressure on the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
AIS tracking data for the tanker, which can be spoofed – faked, was last updated today and suggests the tanker is in the North Atlantic approximately 2,000km (1,200 miles) west of continental Europe.
Under international law, vessels flying a country’s flag are under the protection of that nation. But Dimitris Ampatzidis, senior risk and compliance analyst at maritime intelligence firm Kpler, told BBC Verify changing the ship’s name and flag may not change much.
“US action is driven by the vessel’s underlying identity (IMO number), ownership/control networks, and sanctions history, not by its painted markings or flag claim,” he said.
Ampatzidis added that changing to the Russian registry may cause “diplomatic friction” but would not stop any US enforcement action.