Shadow Fleet Tanker Captain Sentenced in U.S. Court
A U.S. District Court sentenced Avtandil Kalandadze, the captain of the shadow fleet tanker Marinera (formerly Bella 1), to jail time and subsequent deportation on August 7, according to The Maritime Executive. The sentencing followed his guilty plea in June on a single count of failing to heave to when ordered by the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Munro.
Kalandadze, a 47-year-old citizen of Georgia, commanded the Bella 1 from September 2025 until late December 2025. During this time, the 318,518-dwt tanker, bound for Venezuela, was intercepted by the Munro as part of a blockade. The empty vessel ignored the Coast Guard’s orders and fled across the Atlantic, during which it declared a name change to Marinera and claimed a switch to the Russian flag. The ship was finally stopped on January 7 and brought to Scotland under U.S. command.
Vessel History and Sanctions
The tanker, built by Hyundai Heavy Industries in South Korea in 2000, had been part of the shadow fleet for several years. It went through five names and various owners before emerging as Bella 1 in 2023. In 2024, the United States sanctioned the shipping company Louis Marine Shipholding Enterprises as the registered owner of the Panama-flagged Bella 1 for carrying sanctioned cargo on behalf of Hizballah. By late 2024, the ship was falsely claiming to sail under the flag of Guyana.
Prosecution and Sentence
The U.S. Attorney’s Office alleged that while Kalandadze was master, the tanker transported approximately 1.8 million barrels of Iran-origin oil to Asia. Prosecutors also said he used obfuscation techniques, including sailing with an inactivated Automatic Identification System and concealing the vessel’s name during a ship-to-ship transfer of the oil to another vessel.
The captain was rushed out of Scotland in January as lawyers attempted to stop his extradition. The court sentenced him to 10 months in jail, followed by deportation. He had faced a maximum of five years in prison absent aggravating circumstances.
Vessel’s Fate and Future
The vessel was one of several seized during the U.S. blockade of Venezuela, as well as others stopped during the blockade of Iran. The U.S. was pursuing forfeiture cases against the vessels. GMS, the world’s largest cash buyer, confirmed as early as January that it was in discussions to acquire the tankers. The Bella 1 was towed to the United States and, in early June, got underway under the name Era, registered in Comoros. Equasis now lists the owner as Global Marketing Systems and the status as to be broken up.
Original Article: Captain of Shadow Fleet Tanker Marinera Sentenced in U.S. Court — Indexbox