US EditionUS seizes sixth sanctioned tanker it says has ties to Venezuela in Trump’s effort to control its oil
The Veronica is the sixth Venezuela-linked tanker seized in the Caribbean as part of a U.S. effort to enforce sanctions and control Venezuelan oil exports, officials said.
- On January 15, 2026, U.S. forces seized Motor/Tanker Veronica in the Caribbean as the sixth sanctioned tanker, launching from USS Gerald R. Ford with Marines, sailors, and a U.S. Coast Guard tactical team.
- The Trump administration says the seizures enforce a sanctioned-vessel quarantine, asserting control over Venezuela’s oil production and distribution after Nicolás Maduro’s ouster.
- Thermal and black-and-white footage shows Marines fast-roping onto Motor/Tanker Veronica, a 115,500 dwt vessel with prior Russian registration now sailing under the Guyana flag, and officials said the seizure occurred without incident.
- The U.S. completed a $500m sale of seized Venezuelan oil earlier this week and the Trump administration says it expects to sell 30 million to 50 million barrels soon, pitching $100 billion investment.
- Amid a wider maritime crackdown, the U.S. targets a dark fleet of more than 1,000 vessels, following seizures including the Russian-flagged Marinera and Bella 1, as Kpler reports exports fell by half in January with interagency coordination.
309 Articles
309 Articles
Southern Command Seizes Oil Tanker in New Act of Piracy
Southern Command detailed that Marines and naval personnel from Joint Task Force Southern Spear departed from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford to carry out the operation. In blatant violation of all international legal frameworks, the United States Southern Command reported a new act of piracy in the Caribbean on Thursday, announcing the theft of the oil tanker Veronica, linked to Venezuela and accused by Washington of violating the unila…
Oil tanker seized by US forces in Atlantic remains in Scottish waters
The M/V Bella 1 was renamed Marinera and re-flagged as Russian as it attempted to evade US forces. It was captured near Iceland on January 7 for allegedly violating sanctions by transporting Venezuelan crude oil.
U.S. forces seize sixth sanctioned Venezuela-linked oil tanker
U.S. forces seized a sixth oil tanker tied to Venezuelan oil shipments during a pre-dawn operation Thursday, continuing the Trump administration’s stepped-up enforcement campaign in the Caribbean. The vessel, Motor Tanker Veronica, was taken without incident as part of Operation Southern Spear, according to U.S. Southern Command and the Department of Homeland Security. Southern Command said Marines and sailors from Joint Task Force Southern Spea…
Hawaii Tribune-Herald
West Hawaii TodayUS forces seize sixth oil tanker linked to Venezuela
The U.S. Coast Guard said Thursday that it had taken control of a tanker that was operating in defiance of the Trump administration’s partial blockade on sanctioned vessels transporting oil from Venezuela, the sixth ship intercepted since December.
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