- Category
- Latest news
Seized by the US, Linked to Russia—Who Really Owns the Shadow Tanker Marinera?
- Authors
![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
The oil tanker Bella 1, now operating under the name Marinera, has been owned since late December by a Russian company registered in the Ryazan region, according to documents reviewed by the Financial Times and published on January 6.
As reported by the Financial Times, the vessel was sold in December to Burevestmarin, a Russian company founded in July 2025 by businessman Ilya Bugay. Corporate records list the company as operating under Russian jurisdiction and oversight.
Every article pushes back against disinformation. Your support keeps our team in the field.
Independent outlet Novaya Gazeta Europe, citing Russia’s Unified State Register of Legal Entities, reports that Bugay currently lives in Moscow and graduated from Crimea Federal University in 2008.
Job listings posted by Burevestmarin in 2025 indicate the company has advertised positions related to maritime operations.
Bugay has also served since 2018 as general director of Rusneftekhimtorg, a company involved in oil product trading, according to Novaya Gazeta Europe.
The firm reported revenues of roughly $49.6 million in 2020, after which its financial performance declined, posting losses in 2024.
“In December, however, the 23-year-old ship was sold to a Russian company called Burevestmarin and is now listed as legitimately operating under Russian jurisdiction and oversight,” the Financial Times reported.
“According to Russian corporate records, Burevestmarin was founded in Ryazan in July 2025 by Ilya Bugay, a businessman listed as the general manager of an oil-trading company. Bugay has been contacted for comment.”
On January 7, US military forces detained two oil tankers identified as part of Russia’s so-called shadow fleet: Bella 1 (Marinera) and Sofia. Both vessels appear on the US Treasury Department sanctions lists for transporting Iranian, Venezuelan, and Russian oil in violation of international restrictions.
Earlier, five oil tankers operating near Venezuela and sanctioned by the United States have officially switched to sailing under the Russian flag, marking another step by Moscow to formalize its so-called “shadow fleet” and blunt international restrictions.
-29ed98e0f248ee005bb84bfbf7f30adf.jpg)
-29a1a43aba23f9bb779a1ac8b98d2121.jpeg "Photo of Illia Kabachynskyi")
-111f0e5095e02c02446ffed57bfb0ab1.jpeg "Photo of Roman Kohanets")