US EditionUS military boards sanctioned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean after pursuit from the Caribbean
U.S. forces tracked and boarded the Aquila II after it defied sanctions linked to Venezuelan and Russian oil, marking the eighth tanker seized since December, Pentagon said.
- After tracking it from the Caribbean, U.S. military forces boarded the Aquila II in the Indian Ocean following a right-of-visit maritime interdiction in the INDOPACOM area, Monday.
- Following the Jan. 3 ouster of Nicolás Maduro, a flotilla including the Suezmax tanker Aquila II departed Venezuelan waters last month, with U.S. officials accusing it of breaching the quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean.
- Data show the tanker, identified as Panamanian-flagged and sanctioned, carried about 700,000 barrels of Venezuelan heavy crude bound for China and spent much of last year running dark, owned by a company in Hong Kong.
- Pentagon posts variously said U.S. forces boarded and in some statements said they seized the tanker, while data transmitted Monday indicated Aquila II was not currently carrying crude.
- Policy moves have targeted shipments to Cuba and included a recent executive order imposing tariffs, while the Trump administration seeks to control Venezuela's oil and officials see tanker seizures as generating cash to rebuild its oil sector.
140 Articles
140 Articles
US forces board sanctioned tanker after globe-spanning pursuit
US military forces have boarded a sanctioned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean after tracking it from the Caribbean, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Monday, marking a major escalation in the Trump administration’s campaign to enforce an oil quarantine on Venezuela and seize vessels accused of evading sanctions.
U.S. Military Boards Oil Tanker in Indian Ocean After Pursuing It From Caribbean
(The Epoch Times)—U.S. military forces boarded a crude oil tanker “without incident” overnight in the Indian Ocean after pursuing it from the Caribbean, the Pentagon stated on Feb. 9, accusing the vessel of breaching a U.S.-enforced quarantine. The War Department stated in a post on X that “military forces conducted a right-of-visit, maritime interdiction and boarding on the Aquila II” in the Indian Ocean after tracking it in response to the Tru…
The US has boarded an oil tanker in the Indian Ocean that had been tracked by US authorities from the Caribbean Sea. The US Department of Defense reported this on X. According to the department, the tanker was carrying oil from Venezuela. Aquila II was sailing under the flag of Panama. The oil tanker was en route to China when the US Navy boarded it by helicopter in the Indian Ocean. It is not yet clear whether the tanker's crew members have bee…
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