Irish authorities have been monitoring the route of an oil tanker which may be en route across the north-east Atlantic to a Russian North Sea port.
As The Irish Times reports, the ship formerly named Bella 1 and recently renamed Marinera has been “actively pursued” by the US military as part of President Trump’s targeting of Venezuelan oil.
The newspaper reports that the US Coast Guard began tracking the Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) class ship two weeks ago as it sailed to Venezuela to take on a shipment of oil.
Two tankers suspected of handling oil exports in breach of US sanctions have already been seized.
The ship has had a Russian flag painted on its hull and has been added to Russia’s shipping registry, having previously flown under the flag of Guyana.
The New York Times has reported that Russia has formally requested the US to stop pursuing the vessel.
However, US authorities have claimed that the tanker is falsely registered and is a “shadow vessel” – using false or misleading registration to avoid sanctions.
The Irish Times reports that the ship’s automatic identification system had been switched off, but was switched on again on Friday and was transmitting its location in the Atlantic.
It was speculated that the ship could enter the Irish exclusive economic zone over last weekend or early this week, if its course is maintained.
Read The Irish Times here
