"Dark Fleet Tankers Reflagging as Russian" Topic

A Venezuela-linked oil tanker operating in the so-called "dark fleet" painted a Russian flag on its hull, changed its name, and reflagged to Russia in an apparent bid to evade the U.S. Coast Guard, according to reports…

Fox News: link

One on them is being escorted by Russian Navy.

If a sub counts as an escort…

The USCG will probably let it go, as I've seen other reports that the tanker is empty…

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That would explain the arrival of the Ghostriders and Black Hawks in the UK in the past couple of days.

Time to bring back Letters of Marque.

Something like a classic "false flag" operation. 🏴‍☠️🏴🚩 The Russians seem to be easily read in almost everything they do …

That would explain the arrival of the Ghostriders and Black Hawks in the UK in the past couple of days.

FYI – the Ghostrider is the replacement for the AC-130 Spector. The Ghostrider is the J model of the C-130. I have some "doings" at a nearby USAFR base. They are going thru turning in their H model C-130s to the J. I and others were invited to that USAFR Base when they received their first C-130 J "Super Hercules". Pretty impressive. We were allowed to walk around and in the new "J".

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The UH-60 Blackhawks are very nice aircraft. Was with the 101 when they started to replace the iconic UH-1s in the early '80s. The UH-1 "Huey" of Vietnam "fame" … The Army is even working on replacing the UH-60s. They are looking at a tiltrotor, similar to the V-22 Osprey … but a different airframe, etc.

US air-to-air refuelling tanker and several other aircraft used by US Air Force Special Operations Command for reconnaissance and other specialist missions

Having have a little experience with some USAF Spec Ops aircraft/assets, etc. It should be no surprise those assets and probably more have been deployed to that area/region.

As we see through-out this recent US raid. We again demonstrate what a critical part oil plays. Generally, always does in one way or another … As in many military ops cutting off an enemies' key classes of supply. Results in their degradation and inevitable failure/loss.

Enforcing a judicial warrant, the USCG has taken control of the subject vessel.

Cue howls of outrage from the usual suspects.

This doesn't look like a naval escort or a false-flag caper, more like sanctions enforcement under warrant. Submarines don't "escort" tankers; they signal deterrence. The key issue was whether a mid-voyage Russian reflag could defeat a pre-existing seizure order. If the USCG took control, that answers the question: paint and paperwork don't erase a sanctioned vessel's identity. Everything else, Ghostriders, Blackhawks, outrage,is background noise.

🇺🇸🇬🇧🇷🇺🇮🇷 U.S. AND U.K. MILITARY MOVING IN TO GRAB RUSSIAN-IRANIAN OIL TANKER IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC

A U.K. Poseidon spy jet just flew out of Scotland and is circling near a Russian-flagged, Iran-linked oil tanker south of the Faroe Islands.

The RAF aircraft is built to hunt submarines and ships. It's not up there for fun.

At the same time, multiple U.S. Air Force special ops planes took off from Scotland headed for Iceland, flying directly over the same zone where the operation is unfolding.

The tanker, Marinera, is reportedly carrying sanctioned Iranian oil, under a Russian flag, and that's one hell of a red flag.

No official word from the U.S. or U.K. yet.

No one launches a spy jet and sends elite U.S. aircraft to "monitor"…something's going down in the North Atlantic.

Venezuelan oil is already back on the market after the U.S. backed an interim government, now eyes are shifting to Iran, where protests are shaking the Ayatollah's grip.

And more from X

🚨🇺🇸🇻🇪🇨🇳 CHINA ACCUSES U.S. OF STEALING ITS OIL AFTER TRUMP DIVERTS VENEZUELAN CRUDE TO AMERICA

China is livid, and they're not hiding it.

After Trump announced the U.S. will refine and sell up to 50 million barrels of Venezuelan oil previously frozen under sanctions, Beijing fired back, calling the move a blatant power grab and a direct hit on their interests.

Why? Because that oil wasn't just sitting there, China had already paid for a big chunk of it, through loan-for-oil deals and state-backed agreements with Maduro's regime.

Trump's plan? Ignore all that, break the blockade, grab the barrels, and reroute them to U.S. refineries.

The pitch: American energy security, because the U.S. is in charge now.

This is also about who gets to call the shots in Venezuela post-Maduro, and right now, Beijing just got boxed out while Washington takes over the chessboard.

It's a high-stakes geopolitical standoff over energy, influence, and who controls Latin America's future.

China just lost billions in oil access, but the U.S. just cashed in.

Source: Reuters

The Bella 1 seizure settles the question that a Russian paint job doesn't erase a sanctioned vessel's identity, and deterrence signaling doesn't stop a lawful boarding.

Its seizure also suggests that sanctions enforcement is now identity-based, global, and willing to brush up against great-power deterrence. Going forawrd, risk will not be able to be hidden behind flags but will have to be diffused earlier in the supply chain.

I read on the internet that the Scandinavians have been seizing dark fleet ships in the Skagerrak-Kattegat, Baltic Sea, and Gulf of Finland, not because they are evading sanctions or suspected of doing so, but because they don't meet environmental, safety, and insurance regulations.

We could game things like that out, but we'd have to put serious defenders on the ship.

We could game things like that out, but we'd have to put serious defenders on the ship.

Here you go -- just the thing! A 28mm modern frieghter, only 8 feet long in proper scale!

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And your landing Party…

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…and your Russian PMC crew…

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I also have a lot of modern 28mm from this Etsy store -- great quality prints!

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@ SBminisguy
Tempting, but I don't have oil money.
Maybe just game out the important areas of the ship, engine room, bridge, mess (the boys gotta eat, right).

I can see a motely crew jumping ship in this scenario….

$800 USD bucks for a piece of terrain (beautiful as it is) seems just a little excessive to me. Maybe find a cheaper material than 3D printing all of it???? Black Site Studios have/had something similar in MDF at a lower price point (albeit maybe not as detailed/pretty). But I played a skirmish game on such a terrain piece a few years back it was a great game, but still not worth $800. USD

We could game things like that out, but we'd have to put serious defenders on the ship.

Maduro reportedly wanted to put defenders on the tankers.

A few ground-to-air missiles would be a bad day.

Defenders with drones would be bad too.

inca77 +1

If the USCG took control, that answers the question: paint and paperwork don't erase a sanctioned vessel's identity.

That sounds about right …

Everything else, Ghostriders, Blackhawks, outrage,is background noise.

Regardless I do like Ghostriders, Blackhawks, MH-6s, etc. However, some people will always be outraged by something. Hell some of the rioters are paid to be outraged.

@Legion 4

A fair take.

Liking the hardware and understanding the operation aren't the same thing as being whipped into outrage. Ghostriders, Blackhawks, MH-6s are just tools—they show capability and contingency, not intent to escalate. Most of the noise afterward is predictable: some people react emotionally, some perform outrage because it's their default posture, and yes, in modern politics a few are literally incentivized to do so.

Meanwhile, the actual story stays boring and procedural: warrant, boarding, seizure, done. Everything else is commentary.

Bottom Line, the U.S. won this round and sanctions enforcement just regained credibility at sea. Thus, Russian reflagging is not a magic cloak and, btw, this was a warrant execution, not a naval clash.

We've taken two Russian flagged bad actors. In the conventional maritime sense, Russia is a paper mouse.

A paper Mouse with big old nukes. :)

Ghostriders, Blackhawks, MH-6s are just tools—they show capability and contingency, not intent to escalate.

Yes they are a demonstration of US firepower. Plus they have deployed to the neighborhood … Close to a possible hot spot …

Most of the noise afterward is predictable: some people react emotionally, some perform outrage because it's their default posture, and yes, in modern politics a few are literally incentivized to do so.

All the usual suspects … again …

Bottom Line, the U.S. won this round and sanctions enforcement just regained credibility at sea. Thus, Russian reflagging is not a magic cloak and, btw, this was a warrant execution, not a naval clash.

I know that … it was never really intended to be more than a legal matter enforced by military support …

Just like the raid to get Maduro … no intension to start a war … Just the US military protecting Fed LEOs to arrest a bad guy. Plus they know if it comes down to it. US TLAMs, Drones, Strike Aircraft, etc. would make short order of key military targets, cartel locations/leadership, drug factories, drug supply points, etc. The same could be said for Columbia and Mexico.