WASHINGTON — U.S. Military forces have boarded a second oil tanker in the Indian Ocean this month, continuing a campaign targeting illicit Venezuelan crude oil and demonstrating a firm stance against sanctions evasion. The latest interdiction, involving the Panamanian-flagged vessel Veronica III, follows the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January and a broader effort to disrupt Venezuela’s oil trade, according to a Pentagon statement released Sunday.
The Veronica III was tracked by U.S. Forces from the Caribbean Sea, a journey spanning thousands of miles, before being intercepted in the Indian Ocean. “The vessel tried to defy President Trump’s quarantine — hoping to slip away,” the Pentagon stated in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. “We tracked it from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean, closed the distance, and shut it down.” Video footage released by the Pentagon depicts U.S. Troops boarding the tanker.
The operation underscores the Trump administration’s commitment to enforcing sanctions against Venezuela, which have been in place for several years. Venezuela has increasingly relied on a “shadow fleet” of tankers operating under false flags to circumvent these sanctions and continue exporting crude oil, a vital source of revenue for the Maduro government. President Trump initially ordered a quarantine of sanctioned tankers in December as a means of increasing pressure on Maduro, a move that preceded the January military operation resulting in his capture.
The Veronica III is currently under U.S. Sanctions related to Iran, according to the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control. TankerTrackers.com, a maritime tracking organization, reported Sunday that the vessel departed Venezuela on , the same day Maduro was apprehended, carrying approximately 2 million barrels of crude and fuel oil. Samir Madani, co-founder of TankerTrackers.com, stated in January that at least 16 tankers left the Venezuelan coast in the wake of the raid, attempting to evade the imposed quarantine.
The Pentagon has not yet confirmed whether the Veronica III has been formally seized and placed under U.S. Control, stating only that it had no additional information beyond the initial announcement. This lack of immediate clarity mirrors the situation surrounding the Aquila II, another tanker boarded by U.S. Forces in the Indian Ocean last week. That vessel remains in U.S. Custody while its fate is determined, according to a defense official speaking on condition of anonymity.
The recent actions represent a significant escalation in U.S. Efforts to control Venezuela’s oil resources. The Trump administration has previously seized tankers as part of its broader strategy to exert influence over the country’s political and economic landscape. The intervention follows a military strike launched on , which resulted in the capture of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in a U.S.-led operation codenamed “Operation Absolute Resolve.”
The capture of Maduro has led to a period of political transition in Venezuela, with Vice President Delcy Rodríguez sworn in as acting president on . According to reports, 431 political prisoners, including foreign nationals, have been released since . The intervention has also triggered a “Cuban crisis,” though the specifics of this remain unclear. The U.S. Has also indicated plans to lift sanctions on oil trade and pursue the privatization of Venezuela’s oil industry.
The military operation itself resulted in casualties, with reports indicating that between 23 and 47 Venezuelan military personnel, along with 32 Cuban military and security personnel, were killed. Two civilians also reportedly lost their lives. Seven U.S. Soldiers were injured during the operation. The intervention involved multiple branches of the U.S. Armed Forces, including the Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment and Delta Force, as well as the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Air Force, and elements of U.S. Cyber Command and Space Command. The Central Intelligence Agency, the Department of Justice, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the FBI also played roles, with the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team involved in the operation.
The U.S. Military’s continued focus on intercepting tankers in the Indian Ocean signals a long-term commitment to disrupting Venezuela’s attempts to circumvent sanctions and underscores the strategic importance of controlling key maritime routes for illicit oil trade. The ongoing situation remains fluid, and the ultimate impact of these actions on Venezuela’s political and economic future remains to be seen.
