Blacklisted Tanker ‘Bella 1’ Has a Sanctions Past Linked to Terror Financing

The U.S.-blacklisted tanker Bella 1, reportedly targeted by U.S. forces near Venezuela this weekend, carries a sanctions history that stretches far beyond Venezuelan oil trade into a web of terrorist financing operations spanning Southeast Asia and the Middle East, according to U.S. Treasury Department records. . . . Shipping database Equasis shows the Bella 1 was previously flagged in Panama, but its current registration is listed as “unknown.” United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), which designates the vessel under its “Ghost Armada” list, shows the vessel as flying a false flag (Guyana), rendering it stateless.