Crew members aboard the aging, rusted oil tanker that the US has been pursuing at sea for nearly two weeks appear to have painted a crude image of a Russian flag on the ship’s hull, which American officials believe is an attempt at claiming Russian protection,

The crew of a Venezuela-bound oil tanker have put up a crude painting of a Russian flag on the side of its hull in an apparent attempt to avoid the US Coast Guard, according to multiple reports.

The Bella 1, the sanctioned tanker fleeing U.S. forces, is no longer expected to return to Venezuela to load up with oil, according to a new report.

The listing could make it more challenging for U.S. forces to board the ship, which an arm of the Kremlin’s maritime authority says is now flying the Russian flag.

The aging tanker has evaded seizure by the Coast Guard for almost two weeks.

Iran seized a foreign oil tanker as it traveled the strategic Strait of Hormuz carrying some 25,000 barrels of smuggled fuel, state media said.