US forces board tanker in Indian Ocean after Venezuela blockade evasion

ISLAMABAD: American military forces have intercepted and boarded the Panamanian-flagged oil tanker Veronica III in the Indian Ocean, according to a statement posted on X by the Department of War on Sunday.

The department said US forces tracked the vessel across international waters before carrying out what officials described as a lawful maritime boarding operation within the Indo-Pacific Command’s area of responsibility. Video released alongside the statement shows armed personnel approaching the tanker at sea and climbing aboard.

Officials described the action as a “right-of-visit, maritime interdiction and boarding” conducted without incident. According to the statement, the pursuit began in the Caribbean and continued across thousands of miles before the ship was stopped in the Indian Ocean.

“The vessel tried to defy President Trump’s quarantine — hoping to slip away,” the department said. “We tracked it from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean, closed the distance, and shut it down.”

The Pentagon intercepted the Aquila II in similar fashion about a week ago.

In December, Trump ordered a "blockade" of sanctioned oil vessels heading to and from Venezuela. At least nine ships have been seized thus far.

But those ships seized in recent months make up only a tiny fraction of the total number of sanctioned "shadow fleet" vessels operating worldwide to evade sanctions, which a senior US Coast Guard officer said number up to 800.

The Veronica III left Venezuela on January 3 -- the same day that US special forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in a raid -- carrying around 1.9 million barrels of oil, TankersTrackers.com said.

The ship is listed under US sanctions relating to Iran, according to the website of the US Treasury's Office of Foreign Asset Control.

Officials did not immediately confirm whether the tanker was seized or redirected following the boarding. Still, they described the move as part of a broader campaign to disrupt illicit oil trade networks.

"By land, air, or sea, we will find you and deliver justice," officials warned, signaling continued operations against what they termed "illicit actors and their proxies" in the maritime domain.