Russia asks United States to stop pursuit of fleeing oil tanker
US forces have been tracking the tanker, known as the Bella 1, for nearly two weeks
THE government of Russia has made a formal diplomatic request that the United States stop its pursuit of an oil tanker that had been sailing for Venezuela and is now fleeing the Coast Guard in the Atlantic Ocean, according to two sources with knowledge of the matter.
The request was delivered late on New Year’s Eve to the State Department, said the sources, who discussed the diplomatic message on the condition of anonymity. It was also sent to the White House’s Homeland Security Council, one of the sources said.
The dispute over the tanker comes as US President Donald Trump is trying to negotiate a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine and has repeatedly complained about his inability to end the war.
Russia’s request that the United States stop chasing the vessel could add a new wrinkle to the negotiations and heighten tensions between the two nations over Venezuela.
US forces have been tracking the tanker, known as the Bella 1, for nearly two weeks. The ship, which started its journey in Iran, had been on its way to pick up oil in Venezuela when US forces tried to stop and board it in the Caribbean Sea. US authorities said that the ship was not flying a valid national flag, making it a stateless vessel susceptible to boarding under international law, and said that they possessed a seizure warrant. But the crew of the Bella 1 refused to comply and sailed back towards the Atlantic.
In the days since, the ship has tried to claim the protection of Russia, with its crew painting a Russian flag on the side and radioing the Coast Guard to say they were sailing under Russian authority. The Bella 1 recently appeared in Russia’s official register of ships, under a new name, the Marinera, with a home port of Sochi, on the Black Sea.
Although securing Russian protection may be a long shot for the Bella 1 under international law, Russia’s diplomatic intervention could complicate the US attempt to seize the tanker, which stems from the United States’ continuing conflict with Venezuela. NYTIMES
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