Avtandil Kalandadze, 47, the former master of the Motor Tanker Bella 1, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to refusing to obey orders from the U.S. Coast Guard during a weeks-long pursuit across the Atlantic Ocean. Kalandadze's vessel was part of a "shadow fleet" historically used to transport Iran- and Venezuela-origin oil, benefiting U.S. adversaries and evading sanctions.
The Republic of Georgia national admitted to failing to heave to a Coast Guard cutter, a charge that carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. From September to late-December 2025, Kalandadze commanded the Bella 1, transporting approximately 1.8 million barrels of Iran-origin oil to Asia, employing obfuscation techniques like an inactivated Automatic Identification System (AIS) and concealing the vessel's name during ship-to-ship transfers.
In December 2025, while en route to Venezuela, the Bella 1 was intercepted by the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Munro. Kalandadze disobeyed multiple orders to stop, leading the Munro on a chase across the Atlantic until the vessel's lawful seizure on January 7. He also destroyed records and information onboard during the flight.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro said, "This defendant put American sailors’ and Coast Guardsmen’s lives at risk while attempting to evade U.S. sanctions and move illicit oil." Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg added that the plea "should serve as a warning to ghost fleet owners and operators and all those who man or otherwise support these dangerous, decrepit vessels." Sentencing for Kalandadze is scheduled for August 7, after which he will be deported.