US forces board tanker in Indian Ocean that fled Trump’s Venezuela blockade

In February 2026, US forces boarded the Panamanian-flagged Veronica III in the Indian Ocean for violating sanctions related to Venezuelan oil. The tanker, which departed Venezuela on January 3, 2026, the same day as President Maduro's abduction, was tracked from the Caribbean. This action is part of President Trump's blockade of sanctioned vessels and broader efforts to control Venezuela's oil. The US Secretary of Energy reported that oil sales from Venezuela, controlled by Washington, have generated over $1 billion since Maduro's capture, with projections of an additional $5 billion in the coming months. At least nine ships have been seized as part of this operation.

U.S. military forces boarded the Veronica III, a sanctioned, Panamanian-flagged oil tanker, in the Indian Ocean. The U.S. tracked the vessel from the Caribbean Sea, alleging it was attempting to evade sanctions related to Venezuelan oil. The boarding was conducted as a "right-of-visit, maritime interdiction and boarding," according to the Pentagon. The U.S. claims the tanker defied a quarantine order issued by then-President Trump aimed at pressuring Venezuela. The Veronica III is also under U.S. sanctions related to Iran, according to the Treasury Department.

U.S. military forces boarded the Veronica III, a sanctioned tanker, in the Indian Ocean after tracking it from the Caribbean Sea. The operation, confirmed by the Pentagon, aimed to target illicit oil connected to Venezuela, which had been using a shadow fleet to circumvent U.S. sanctions. The boarding was part of President Trump's quarantine of sanctioned tankers, initiated in December to pressure then-President Maduro. The Veronica III, previously Panamanian-flagged but deregistered in December 2024, left Venezuela on January 3 carrying nearly 2 million barrels of crude oil and fuel oil. TankerTrackers.com reported the vessel's involvement with Russian, Iranian, and Venezuelan oil since 2023. The Pentagon has not yet confirmed whether the tanker was formally seized.

In February 2026, U.S. forces interdicted the oil tanker Veronica III in the Indo-Pacific after it allegedly attempted to evade a quarantine order issued by the Trump administration. The Department of War stated the boarding was conducted without incident. The Veronica III, flagged in Panama and linked to a Chinese ship-management company, is accused of transporting sanctioned Iranian oil and is on the U.S. Treasury Department's Specially Designated Nationals sanctions list. The U.S. military action is part of an effort to enforce sanctions and curb the export of Venezuelan oil, following President Trump's December 2025 announcement of a blockade on sanctioned oil tankers going in and out of Venezuela. The U.S. government stated it will continue to deny illicit actors freedom of movement in the maritime domain.

In February 2026, the United States military seized the Venezuela-linked oil tanker Aquila II in the Indian Ocean. The Pentagon stated this action demonstrates the US commitment to enforcing its oil blockade against Venezuela, even far from the Caribbean. The US claims the tanker defied President Trump's quarantine of sanctioned vessels. The Aquila II, flagged in Panama, had departed Venezuela in early January carrying 700,000 barrels of crude oil. This seizure is part of a broader US campaign to cut off Venezuela's oil exports, which began in December and continued despite Venezuela opening its oil sector to foreign investment after the abduction of President Maduro.