What the Indictment Says
On February 12, 2026, a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia returned a two-count indictment against Captain Avtandil Kalandadze, the master of the motor tanker M/T BELLA1 (IMO: 9230880), based on events surrounding the pursuit and boarding of the vessel in December 2025 and January 2026. The charges — taking an action to prevent a lawful seizure and failing to heave to — reflect the government’s aggressive use of federal maritime criminal statutes against vessel personnel who, it alleges, obstructed an authorized enforcement action. Captain Kalandadze made his initial appearance before the United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico on February 17, 2026, and remains in custody pending transfer to Washington, D.C.

Background: A Seizure Attempt, a Flag Claim, and a Weeks-Long Standoff
On or about December 20, 2025, personnel authorized by the United States government moved to search and seize the M/T BELLA 1 on the high seas. According to the indictment, Captain Kalandadze responded by claiming the vessel was flying the flag of Guyana — a representation the government contends was made for the sole purpose of preventing and impairing its lawful authority to take the vessel into custody. The government’s theory is that this flag claim was false and strategically deployed to improperly interpose flag protection on the high seas against an otherwise lawful right of visit boarding.

The confrontation did not end there. Starting on following day and continuing through on or about January 7, 2026, Captain Kalandadze allegedly refused to comply with repeated orders from authorized federal law enforcement officers to heave to—the maritime equivalent of the requirement for a motorist to pull over at the direction of a police officer. The government characterizes the vessel as stateless — a vessel without nationality as defined under 46 U.S.C. § 70502(c)(1)(A) — a designation that, if sustained, exposes the vessel to U.S. maritime jurisdiction despite its flag claim.

The Charges: Obstruction of a Seizure and Failure to Heave To
Count One charges Captain Kalandadze with taking an action to prevent a seizure in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 2232(a) and 2. Section 2232(a) prohibits any person from knowingly taking action, before a lawful search, inspection, or seizure, to prevent or impair the government’s authority to carry out that action. The government’s theory is straightforward: by falsely invoking Guyanese registry in the face of an imminent seizure, Captain Kalandadze committed a federal crime. The inclusion of 18 U.S.C. § 2, the federal aiding and abetting statute, signals that prosecutors may not limiting their  analysis to the Captain alone.

Count Two charges a failure to heave to in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 2237(a)(1) and 2. Section 2237(a)(1) makes it a federal offense for the master or person in charge of a vessel subject to U.S. jurisdiction to knowingly fail to obey an order by an authorized federal law enforcement officer to stop the vessel. The jurisdictional predicate here is critical: the government must prove that the M/T BELLA1 was, in fact, a stateless vessel as defined by 46 U.S.C. § 70502(c)(1)(A). If that predicate holds, the ship was subject to U.S. authority on the high seas and the orders to heave to carried the full force of federal law. If it does not, the entire jurisdictional basis for the charge unravels.

The Jurisdictional Question: Was the M/T BELLA 1 Truly Stateless?
The government’s case, like many of the recent tanker seizures, rests heavily on the stateless status of the vessel. Under international law and its domestic implementation in 46 U.S.C. § 70502(c)(1)(A), a vessel may be deemed without nationality — and thus subject to U.S. jurisdiction — where, among other circumstances, it is not documented under the laws of any country, is not flying the flag of any country, or the master or individual in charge fails to claim registry. The Department of Justice contends that Captain Kalandadze’s Guyanese flag assertion was not a legitimate claim of registry but a false and obstructive one.

Procedural Posture and Next Steps
Following his initial appearance in Puerto Rico, the presiding U.S. Magistrate issued a Commitment to Another District order on February 17, 2026, directing the U.S. Marshal to transport Captain Kalandadze to the District of Columbia, where the indictment was returned and the case will be prosecuted. Pretrial motion practice will likely address significant novel subjects including challenges to the stateless vessel designation, the sufficiency of the government’s evidence on the false flag claim, and the legal basis for the orders to heave to.

We will provide further updates as the case develops. For questions regarding the charges, the jurisdictional framework, or maritime criminal enforcement more broadly, please contact us at info@chaloslaw.com.