US boards second tanker in Indian Ocean after tracking it from Caribbean

BBC News - WorldCenterEN 2 min read 100% complete February 15, 2026 at 08:34 PM

AI Summary

medium article 2 min

The US military boarded the Veronica III, a Panamanian-flagged oil tanker, in the Indian Ocean after tracking it from the Caribbean Sea. This is the second US interception of a tanker in the Indian Ocean in the past week, part of a US crackdown on sanctioned Venezuelan oil exports. The Pentagon stated the operation was a "right-of-visit, maritime interdiction and boarding" due to the vessel's suspected involvement in helping Venezuela avoid US sanctions. The Veronica III, which departed Venezuela on January 3 carrying 1.9 million barrels of crude oil, is under US Treasury Department sanctions and suspected of transporting Russian, Iranian, and Venezuelan oil since 2023. The US has seized at least seven oil tankers since last year in an effort to control Venezuelan oil supply, leading to a sharp decline in Venezuelan oil exports.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

TankerTrackers.com 30% Chevron 30% United States Treasury Department 40% Panama 40% Nicolás Maduro 50% Donald Trump ×260% Caribbean Sea ×260% Veronica III ×470% Pentagon ×470% Venezuela ×680% Indian Ocean ×380% United States ×1090%

Keywords

oil tanker 100% us sanctions 90% venezuela 80% maritime interdiction 70% oil exports 60% indian ocean 60% trump administration 50% us military 50% crude oil 40%