The sanctioned oil tanker Hyperion (IMO 9322968), part of Venezuela's shadow fleet, switched its flag to Russian off the coast of Venezuela over the past hour to avoid interception by the U.S. Coast Guard, according to an X post by bayraktar_1love shared during the 10:15-11:15 a.m. UTC window on Jan. 5, 2026. Hyperion is under sanctions from the United States, the European Union, and the United Kingdom, as stated in the X post. Earlier, the tanker Bella 1 switched to the Russian flag and was renamed Marinera, per the same source. These flag changes follow reports from The New York Times, cited in prior X posts through 9:45 a.m. UTC, of at least 16 sanctioned oil tankers making coordinated attempts to evade a U.S. naval blockade on Venezuela's energy exports over the last two days by disguising locations or turning off transmission signals. The evasion efforts occur amid U.S. pressure on Venezuelan oil exports following the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his transport to New York for trial, as previously detailed in reporting through 9:45 a.m. UTC.
