FOUR PLUS

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Tanker with Chinese crew detained for violating Venzuela's sovereignty and flying false flag

On jan 13, 2025, the military authorities of Venezuela have detained the 'Four Plus', with a crew of Chinese nationality on board, accused of violating the country's sovereignty, in the Port of Guamache, Nueva Esparta state. The ship did not have the required authorization to navigate in Venezuelan territorial waters. A joint commission was formed, made up of Captain Jackson Bacallao González, commander of the Pampatar Coast Guard Main Station, personnel assigned to the General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence (Dgcim), the Regional Anti-Drug Intelligence Unit 71, Migration of the Bolivarian National Police and the National Institute of Aquatic Spaces (INEA), carrying out the relevant inquiries. Following the seizure, the Maritime Administration Department of Guyana reported that the tanker was not registered in Guyana and flying a false flag, which was not an isolated incident; five oil tankers with ties to Syria, Iran, and Venezuela were sanctioned earlier by the US Treasury Department for false registrations. The general issue is set to be discussed, and measures to be developed against it at the 112th session of the International Maritime Organizations Legal Committee which is to be held in March 2025.