UANI Applauds President Trump’s Seizure of M/T Bella 1 and Other Dark Fleet Vessels

UANI Calls on Captains of Dark Fleet Vessels to Divert Their Ships or Face U.S. Seizure and Prosecution

(New York, NY) – United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) Chairman Governor Jeb Bush and CEO Ambassador Mark D. Wallace released the following statement today after the U.S. seized the M/T BELLA 1 (IMO 9230880), also known as MARINERA.

“UANI applauds President Trump and his administration’s seizures of dark fleet vessels, including the most recent seizure of the M/T BELLA 1. UANI identified the M/T BELLA 1 as part of Iran’s Ghost Armada in 2021, which was evading U.S. sanctions. The U.S. Treasury Department subsequently sanctioned it in 2024.

“All captains of dark fleet vessels must immediately divert their vessels to U.S. ports and cooperate with U.S. authorities or face imminent U.S. seizure, Interpol red notices, and prosecution.

“Captains of the dark fleet should also be aware of the serious risk of crew abandonment. This is an all-too-common reality for ships engaged in sanctions evasion. When vessels are seized, detained, or blacklisted, owners and operators are often cut off from communication, payroll, and fuel support — leaving crew stranded aboard without pay, provisions, or safe passage home. Deceptive operators behind the dark fleet routinely disappear once a ship faces enforcement action, leaving captains and seafarers to bear the legal and humanitarian consequences alone.

“The message is clear: Dark fleet shipping with impunity by captains and first officers is over.

“The recent U.S. seizures of the M/T SKIPPER, M/T CENTURIES, and M/T BELLA 1 have exposed the expanding reach of the U.S. sanctions evasion network into waters perilously close to the United States. While Iranian-linked tankers like M/T SKIPPER and M/T BELLA 1 are most frequently tracked in the Persian Gulf, the Malacca and Singapore Straits, and the South China Sea, their increasing presence in the Caribbean Sea marks a dangerous escalation of Tehran’s global illicit oil trade.

“This development underscores the interconnected and interchangeable nature of the so-called “dark fleets” — or Ghost Armadas — operated by Iran, Russia, and Venezuela. These vessels routinely engage in deceptive practices such as Automatic Identification System (AIS) manipulation, flag-hopping, and covert ship-to-ship transfers to obscure their cargo origins and ownership. Most are stateless, uninsured, and undocumented tankers — often decades old — that pose severe safety and environmental risks as they navigate through busy international waters. 

“These risks have been repeatedly highlighted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO).  Further, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) Article 92 on the Status of Ships, highlights that vessels flying multiple flags are considered stateless, and Article 110 on the Right of Visit, provides that any State’s warships may exercise the right of visit and enforcement on the high seas.

“UANI has for years tracked this network through its Ghost Armada list, which has prompted multiple designations of vessels involved in sanctions evasion. These U.S. operations are a warning to all captains and operators complicit in these schemes: your vessel is known, identified, and at risk of seizure. You risk your future if you participate in sanctions evasion.

“Public reports indicate that the U.S. government plans additional seizures. Captains and first officers must govern themselves accordingly.”