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US military boards sanctioned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean after pursuit from the Caribbean

U.S. forces intercepted the Aquila II tanker in the Indian Ocean after tracking it from the Caribbean, enforcing sanctions that have led to seven tankers seized since December, officials 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.
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The tanker had sailed with other ships from Venezuela in early January.

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censor.net broke the news in on Sunday, February 8, 2026.
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