A painted flag, a Russian bluff and an 18-day chase across the Atlantic

The Bella 1 had been tailed by a US Coast Guard cutter across the Atlantic Ocean for almost two weeks when the ship’s crew employed a novel tactic to evade the US military: painting a Russian flag on its hull.

Hoisting Russian Flags, ‘Shadow Fleet’ Edges Into the Light

The Marinera, which was seized by the U.S., isn’t the only ship from the “shadow fleet” of oil tankers to switch lately to a Russian identity, seeking protection.

Crew paints Russian flag on tanker pursued by the U.S. Coast Guard

The tanker was headed to Venezuela to collect oil, putting it in the crosshairs of President Donald Trump's pressure campaign on Nicolas Maduro's government.

US boards a ship sailing under a Russian flag: what we know and don’t know about the legal position

An expert in international maritime law spells out what the international law of the sea has to say on incidents of this sort.

Venezuelan ‘dark fleet’ tanker evades US Coast Guard as Russia sends submarine to escort vessel: reports

Russia formally asked the United States to halt pursuit of Venezuelan oil tanker Marinera after the vessel escaped U.S. Coast Guard interception in the Caribbean.
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