Russia Sent Submarine to Escort Rusty, Empty Oil Tanker Fleeing US Ships Across Atlantic / Moscow Allowed Ship to Do Something Unusual

Russia has sent a submarine and other naval assets to escort an empty and rusting oil tanker that has become a new flash point in US-Russian relations, according to a US official quoted by The Wall Street Journal.

The tanker, formerly known as the Bella 1, has been trying to evade the US blockade of sanctioned oil tankers near Venezuela for more than two weeks. The ship failed to dock in Venezuela and load oil.

Although the ship is empty, the US Coast Guard has tracked it into the Atlantic. The ship's crew repulsed an American attempt to board the ship in December, fleeing across the Atlantic.

Russia has sent a submarine and additional naval vessels to shadow and protect the derelict oil tanker formerly known as Bella 1, despite it carrying no cargo, according to a US official cited by the Wall Street Journal. pic.twitter.com/PIGqnlyVgg

— Polymarket Intel (@PolymarketIntel) January 7, 2026

The unusual gesture made by Russia

As the Coast Guard pursued her, the crew carelessly painted a Russian flag on the side of the ship, changed her name to Marinera, and altered her registration to a Russian flag.

Russia made an unusual gesture when it allowed the ship to register in Russia without inspection or other formalities, according to experts.

Russia has asked the United States to stop tracking the ship, three other U.S. officials told the WSJ. On Tuesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said it was monitoring “with concern” the situation surrounding the tanker, according to state news agency RIA.

The Coast Guard continued to track the vessel through the eastern Atlantic, where it is now sailing about 300 miles south of Iceland into the North Sea, according to AIS positioning.

The Russian state-controlled RT news channel published a video apparently shot from the deck of the tanker, showing a US Coast Guard vessel following the ship. In a separate post on social media, the news outlet said the US was trying to intercept the tanker, which was bound for Murmansk, Russia, despite its “clear civil status”.

NATO forces track shadow oil tanker Bella 1—now renamed Marinera—250 miles off Ireland coast. Vessel fled US Venezuela blockade, painted Russian flag on hull to claim Moscow protection.

US, UK, France, Ireland deploy surveillance aircraft. Russia filed diplomatic request to… pic.twitter.com/xqtovngeXZ

— GeoTechWar (@geotechwar) January 6, 2026

The new Russian flag complicates things for the United States

At the time the US began tracking the tanker, the Bella 1 was a stateless, false-flag vessel and subject to a judicial seizure order, according to the White House. The US sanctioned the Bella 1 for allegedly carrying black market Iranian oil on behalf of US-designated terrorist organizations aligned with Tehran.

However, the new Russian registration of the ship now complicates the US's legal justification for addressing it, experts say.

“Once it is legitimately registered, it has the protection of the flag” under international law, said retired Rear Admiral Fred Kenney, former director of legal affairs and external relations at the International Maritime Organization.

“It's not retroactive, you can't say she was stateless two weeks ago, so she's stateless now,” he explained.

A US move to forcibly board the ship could trigger possible retaliation from Russia and aligned nations such as Iran, experts say.