Russia has asked the US to stop its pursuit of an oil tanker that was heading to Venezuela and is now fleeing the US Coast Guard in the Atlantic Ocean, the New York Times reported on Thursday, citing two people with knowledge of the matter.
American forces have been pursuing the tanker, which maritime groups have identified as the Bella 1, for almost two weeks.
The ship was en route from Iran to Venezuela to pick up oil when US forces tried to stop and board the vessel in the Caribbean. From there, the crew of the Bella 1 sailed back to the Atlantic, radioed the Coast Guard to say they were sailing under Russian authority, and painted a Russian flag on the side of the ship.
Recent registration
The ship also recently appeared to have been registered in Russia under the name Marinera, with a home port on the Black Sea.
A former sanctions compliance officer at the US Treasury Department said earlier this week that it was "unclear" whether Russia's "overnight flag registration" would be upheld.
The US on Wednesday imposed sanctions on four companies it said were operating in Venezuela’s oil sector as well as associated oil tankers, as President Donald Trump's administration increases pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
Russia made the formal diplomatic request as Trump also seeks to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.
The White House, US Department of State, and Russian Embassy were not immediately available for comment.
However, a US official told the New York Times that the Trump administration continues to treat the ship as "stateless" as it was flying a false flag when the Coast Guard first encountered it.