U.S. Military Intercepts Sanctioned Tanker in Indian Ocean

U.S. military forces successfully boarded the oil tanker Veronica III in the Indian Ocean after tracking the vessel from the Caribbean Sea. This operation, announced by the Pentagon on Sunday, aims to target illicit oil activities linked to Venezuela, which has faced U.S. sanctions for several years. The sanctions have forced the country to rely on a network of falsely flagged tankers to smuggle crude oil into global markets.

The operation follows a series of U.S. actions to tighten control over Venezuelan oil exports. In December 2022, former President Donald Trump ordered a quarantine of sanctioned tankers to exert pressure on then-President Nicolás Maduro. Maduro was apprehended on January 3, 2023, during a U.S. military operation, prompting several tankers, including the Veronica III, to flee the Venezuelan coast.

According to a post on X by the Pentagon, U.S. forces conducted a “right-of-visit, maritime interdiction and boarding” of the Veronica III. The statement indicated that the vessel attempted to evade the quarantine imposed by Trump, aiming to escape detection.

The Pentagon’s actions are part of a broader strategy to disrupt Venezuela’s oil trade. Video footage shared by the military shows U.S. troops boarding the tanker, which is a Panamanian-flagged vessel already under U.S. sanctions due to its connections with Iran. The Veronica III reportedly departed from Venezuela on the same day Maduro was taken into custody, carrying nearly 2 million barrels of crude oil and fuel.

Monitoring organization TankerTrackers.com reported that since the beginning of 2023, the vessel has been involved in transporting oil from Russia, Iran, and Venezuela. Samir Madani, co-founder of TankerTrackers.com, noted that at least 16 other tankers have left Venezuelan waters in violation of the imposed quarantine.

While the Pentagon did not clarify if the Veronica III was formally seized and placed under U.S. control, a representative informed the Associated Press that they had no further information to provide at this time.

This action follows another recent boarding of a tanker, the Aquila II, in the Indian Ocean last week. A defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the ship is being held while the U.S. determines its ultimate fate.

The U.S. military’s ongoing operations reflect a concerted effort to regain control over Venezuela’s oil resources, significantly impacting the country’s economy and international oil markets.