Avtandil Kalandadze, master of the shadow fleet tanker Bella 1, has pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia after refusing a U.S. Coast Guard order during an Atlantic interdiction operation.
Kalandadze, a 47-year-old citizen of Georgia, was in command of Bella 1 when the tanker failed to stop for the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Munro. The case followed a pursuit that began after the tanker was intercepted while sailing toward Venezuela in December 2025.
Failing to comply with a lawful order to stop carries a maximum prison term of five years, unless aggravating circumstances apply. Sentencing is scheduled for 7 August, and U.S. prosecutors said Kalandadze will be deported after completing his prison sentence.
According to the plea agreement, Kalandadze served as master of Bella 1 from September 2025 until late December 2025. During that time, the tanker carried about 1.8 million barrels of Iran-origin oil to Asia.
U.S. authorities said the vessel used methods often linked to concealment at sea. These included sailing without an active AIS signal and hiding the tanker’s name during a ship-to-ship transfer involving Iran-origin oil.
When Bella 1 was challenged by Munro, the tanker did not follow repeated orders from authorized federal officers. Prosecutors also said Kalandadze acted under the direction of a representative of the tanker’s operator and took steps to avoid interdiction, including destroying records and information aboard the vessel.
The vessel’s operators later sought Russian protection and announced that the tanker had been renamed Marinera and placed under the Russian flag.
After U.S. authorities stopped the tanker, it was taken to Scotland. The case later drew criticism over claims that Kalandadze was removed at night while legal efforts were being made to prevent his deportation.
U.S. Homeland Security and the FBI described the incident as a reckless pursuit across the Atlantic. They said the tanker had used deceptive practices in connection with the movement of oil linked to Iran. However, the vessel was reportedly in ballast and empty when the chase began.
Following the seizure, public tracking of the tanker became limited and its ownership remained unclear. The vessel has since changed name again to Era and is now shown as registered in Comoros. AIS data indicates that the tanker is underway and expected to reach Trinidad next week.
The 318,518-dwt tanker was built in 2002 and has operated under nine identities.
