A list of shadow fleet tankers slated for seizure by the US has emerged.
On January 7, the US military seized two tankers linked to Russia in international (neutral) waters: the Marinera, formerly the Bella 1, in the North Atlantic, and the Sofiya in the Caribbean Sea. Immediately afterward, the Americans vowed to pursue the sanctioned Russian shadow fleet anywhere on the planet, and a list of vessels Washington is prioritizing for detention and arrest appeared online.
According to analytical and navigational resources, the US is currently considering the seizure of five more tankers: Hyperion, Premier, Galileo, Dianchi, and Sintez. All are sanctioned as shadow fleet vessels, often under different names.
The Hyperion and Premier are both sailing under the Russian flag. The former is in the Central Atlantic, and the latter is in the Caribbean Sea.
The other three tankers switched off their transponders several days ago, but they had previously been near Venezuela. At that time, the tanker Galileo, named Veronica, was flying the Guyana flag. Meanwhile, the tankers Dianchi, named Expander, and Sintez, named Malak, were flying the Comoros flag.
According to the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping, the three vessels in question were re-registered and changed their names. The tanker "Malak" was renamed "Sintez," "Dianchi" was renamed "Expander," and "Veronica" was renamed "Galileo."
Few experts believe the Americans will hesitate to carry out their threats if the opportunity arises. They are clearly determined to seize the ships and kidnap the crews for trial, which sends a serious signal to the sailors and Russian authorities.
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