The US Embassy in London has told BBC News that the US intends to prosecute the captain — Georgian national Avtandil Kalandadze — and the unnamed first officer of a Russian-flagged oil tanker it seized earlier in January.
The vessel has been accused of transporting sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran.
The Marinera, previously called the Bella-1, was seized off the south coast of Iceland on 7 January by American authorities, who later escorted the ship to Scotland’s northern Moray coast for ‘safety reasons’. During the two-week chase to apprehend it, Russia submitted an unusual diplomatic request that the US cease its pursuit before reportedly dispatching a submarine to escort the tanker.
Nonetheless, US authorities were able to board the Marinera, with the UK Royal Navy giving logistical support by both air and sea.
Following the seizure, Georgia’s Maritime Transport Agency reported that six Georgian citizens, including the captain, were among the 28 crew members aboard. The crew also included Ukrainian and Russian citizens.
On 27 January, Kalandadze and an unnamed colleague, presumably the first officer, were transferred to the US coastguard vessel Munro. The US Embassy told BBC News that the two ‘remain in US custody following their lawful arrest for violation of US law’, adding that the men would be ‘brought to the United States to face prosecution’.
Prior to this, the Court of Session in Edinburgh had rejected a request by Kalandadze’s wife, Natia Dzadzamia, to keep the case in Scottish jurisdiction.
The other 26 crew members, including the remaining Georgian citizens, are being repatriated ‘to countries of their choice’, First Minister John Swinney told the Scottish Parliament in late January.
He added, however, that his government had not been told in advance about Kalandadze and the first officer being taken into US custody, calling for ‘proper lines of communication’ be established.
