The authorities in Georgia have said that they are monitoring reports suggesting that six Georgians were aboard a Venezuela-linked oil tanker seized by the US. The ship was also manned by several others from different nationalities, but its captain was reportedly Georgian.
The Marinera was one of two tankers captured by the US on Wednesday, and was flying a Russian flag, according to media reports.
According to the state-run broadcaster Channel One, most of the crew — 20 people — were Ukrainian nationals, followed by six Georgians, including its captain, and two Russians.
On the same day, the Georgian Maritime Transport Agency said it was verifying information circulating in open sources about the tanker.
‘The [...] agency is currently clarifying the facts, including identifying the ship’s operator and gathering information about the Georgian crew members’, the agency said in a public statement.
The Foreign Ministry also responded, telling media outlets, including OC Media, in a brief message that it was carrying out ‘relevant work’ to verify the information.
‘At this stage, the ministry has received no reports regarding the detention of Georgian citizens’, it added.
On the day of the tanker’s seizure, media quoted White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt saying the Marinera’s crew would be brought to the US for prosecution ‘if necessary’ for evading the US Coast Guard.
On Friday, Russia’s Foreign Ministry claimed that Washington had released two Russian who were on board the Marinera at the time of its capture after Russia requested their release. The US has not commented on Russia’s claim as of publication.
According to the US authorities, the vessels detained by US forces a few days after the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro were linked to sanctioned Venezuelan oil.
The Marinera was seized by Washington after nearly two months of pursuit. International media reported, citing The Russian Maritime Register of Shipping, that the tanker had changed its name from Bella 1 to Marinera and switched from the flag of Guyana to Russia prior to its seizure to avoid potential issues.
Later, the independent Russian outlet Novaya Gazeta Europe reported that the Marinera is owned by a company headed by Ilya Bugay, an entrepreneur from Russian-occupied Crimea.
Moscow condemned the seizure of the tanker under its flag, though US Defence Secretary John Healey said the operation was conducted ‘in full compliance with international law’.
Mikheil Gvadzabia
