With Five Shadow Fleet Tankers in Custody, U.S. Could Seize Dozens More
As the U.S. Coast Guard ushers five recently-seized shadow fleet tankers into U.S. custody, the Department of Justice is seeking warrants to capture dozens more, according to Reuters.
The legal petitions are not public, but an insider told the news agency that the administration is asking federal courts to write warrants for civil forfeiture of a large number of sanctioned tankers. The warrants would enable boarding, search and seizure missions to capture the vessels and take them to the U.S., where the government could start proceedings to take possession of the ships and cargoes for alleged sanctions violations.
Several prior court warrants related to the tanker campaign have been unsealed, including the authorization for the seizure of the stateless vessel Bella 1. The Bella 1's case was unique: mid-voyage, with the Coast Guard behind in a low speed pursuit across the Atlantic, Bella 1 changed her name to Marinera and reflagged with the Russian register of shipping. U.S. forces boarded and captured the vessel despite the registry change, and Bella 1 is now under Coast Guard escort.
Ship spotters have identified the Bella 1 off the coast of northern Scotland, in the Moray Firth. The government of the UK understands that the vessel is anchoring in British waters briefly to take on new supplies, including food. Scottish first minister John Swinney told BBC that he was not consulted before the sanctioned tanker arrived.
"It is not appropriate for the Scottish government to learn about these issues through media reports," Swinney told BBC. "There should be advanced briefing from the United Kingdom government and I am insisting on that."
The UK Ministry of Defense declined to comment on the Bella 1's status or its plans for ongoing operations. The vessel has not transmitted an AIS signal since January 7, making her movements harder to track without satellite imaging.
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