Marinera/Bella 1 tanker has Russian owner – media
The oil tanker Marinera/Bella 1, seized by the US European Command (EUCOM), belongs to the Russian company Burevestmarin, according to data from the Global Integrated Shipping Information System of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the Russian state register of legal entities, Novaya Gazeta Evropa has said.
According to the information, the director and sole owner of Burevestmarin is an entrepreneur from the occupied Crimea, Ilya Bugai, the company was registered in Ryazan (Russia) just six months ago.
"However, it seems that it did indeed conduct maritime transportation activities. On job search sites, you can find several vacancies of the company related to shipping published in 2025. Bugai also holds the position of CEO of Rusneftekhimtorg, which is engaged in the trade of petroleum products. In 2020, the company earned RUB 4 billion, then revenue decreased significantly, and in 2024 (the latest available data) the company incurred losses," the report says.
It is noted that in 2008 Bugai graduated from the so-called "Crimean Federal University" and now lives in Moscow.
Marinera/Bella 1 has been under US sanctions since June 2024 for transporting cargo in the interests of the Lebanese Islamist group Hezbollah. At the time of the designation, according to the US Department of Justice, the Bella 1 belonged to the Panamanian company Louis Marine Shipholding Enterprises S.A. This company, in turn, had previously been subject to US sanctions for its cooperation with the Quds Force, the paramilitary wing of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. As reported, the US European Command (EUCOM) confirmed the operation carried out on Wednesday to detain the Russian-flagged oil tanker Mariner in the North Atlantic.