Runaway Tanker Reportedly Changes Course As It Flees From U.S. Forces

The crew of the Bella 1, the sanctioned oil tanker fleeing from U.S. forces, painted a Russian flag on the side of the vessel, an apparent attempt to claim Russian protection as it changes course and heads north, according to a new report.

The New York Times detailed that the crew are currently claiming Russian status. They are now sailing away from the Mediterranean Sea and heading north, possibly toward Greenland or Iceland, according to officials cited by the outlet. The vessel's transponder has been off for almost two weeks.

The tanker has been under U.S. sanctions for a year for transporting Iranian oil that authorities say is sold to finance terrorist activities. Officials obtained a seizure warrant but haven't boarded the vessel.

The Wall Street Journal noted last week that the U.S. has called a Maritime Special Response Team, an elite force trained to board hostile ships, to board the ship. It is unclear whether the troops have reached the forces pursuing the tanker.

This is the first of three tankers targeted by the U.S. that has resisted being seized. It isn't publicly known why the ship has taken the stance, with the WSJ noting that most commercial vessels have little incentive to disobey the orders of U.S. armed forces.

"They are probably getting orders from somewhere," retired Rear Adm. William Baumgartner told the outlet. "These are owned by very bad people trying to make money in a particular manner."

The strategy plays a large role in the Trump administration's goal of forcing Maduro out. Another report detailed that the White House ordered military forces to focus on enforcing a "quarantine" of tankers.

An official told Reuters that while "military options still exist, the focus is to first use economic pressure by enforcing sanctions to reach the outcome the White House is looking."

However, at least two sanctioned tankers have recently made it to Venezuela and more are on their way as the Maduro regime seeks to keep selling crude.

Reuters noted that two other vessels not affected by sanctions are also approaching the country's coast. They are part of a fleet used by China and Venezuela to pay debt service with crude at discounted prices.