WSJ: Russia Deploys Submarine to Escort “Shadow Fleet” Tanker Fleeing U.S. Vessel

Russia has dispatched a submarine to protect an oil tanker from its so-called “shadow fleet” that is attempting to evade a U.S. Coast Guard vessel in the Atlantic Ocean.

The Wall Street Journal reported this, citing its sources.

The tanker, formerly known as Bella 1, was unable to enter Venezuelan ports to load oil and is now sailing back toward Russia empty, according to the report.

Despite the tanker carrying no cargo, the U.S. Coast Guard pursued it as part of a broader campaign to identify and intercept vessels belonging to the “shadow fleet,” which is used to transport illicit oil, including Russian-origin oil.

U.S. officials told the newspaper that in December, the tanker’s crew blocked an attempt by American forces to board the ship.

After that, the tanker headed into the open sea, painted a Russian flag on its hull, changed its registration to Russia, and is now operating under the name Marinera.

“Russia is concerned that the United States is detaining tankers transporting its smuggled oil around the world, which helps sustain its economy. In response, Moscow took an unprecedented step by allowing one of the tankers to register in Russia without inspections or other formalities,” The Wall Street Journal reported.

Earlier, three U.S. officials confirmed that Russia had demanded that the United States stop pursuing the vessel.

According to the Automatic Identification System (AIS), a U.S. Coast Guard ship continues to shadow Marinera in the eastern Atlantic. The tanker is currently more than 400 kilometers south of Iceland and is heading toward the Russian port of Murmansk.

It was previously revealed that a U.S. Coast Guard Legend-class cutter is following the tanker.

The military has confirmed that special forces units are fully prepared to perform a forcible seizure of the vessel sailing under the Russian flag, but they are awaiting a final political decision from the White House.

Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the coast guard has the right to detain vessels if their state affiliation is unconfirmed or if there is suspicion of fraud.