US Forces Board Another Sanctioned Venezuela-Linked Oil Tanker In Indian Ocean After Atlantic-Caribbean Pursuit

US military forces have boarded a second oil tanker linked to Venezuela in the Indian Ocean, the Pentagon announced on Sunday, reinforcing efforts to enforce sanctions and curb illicit oil shipments. 

The vessel, identified as the Panama-flagged Veronica III, was intercepted after being tracked across thousands of miles from the Caribbean Sea, officials said.

The operation is part of a broader US initiative targeting tankers suspected of carrying Venezuelan crude in violation of sanctions imposed by Washington. The boarding in the Indo-Pacific region unfolded without incident after prolonged surveillance and pursuit, the Defence Department added.

Tracking And Intercepting Veronica III

According to the Pentagon’s statement shared on social media, US forces exercised a “right-of-visit, maritime interdiction and boarding” to stop the Veronica III. Officials said the vessel attempted to evade a US-imposed quarantine of sanctioned tankers but was ultimately intercepted in international waters. “We tracked it from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean, closed the distance, and shut it down,” the Pentagon said in the post.

Video released by the US military shows personnel approaching and boarding the tanker from helicopters and small boats, illustrating the coordinated nature of the operation. The Pentagon did not clarify whether Veronica III has been formally seized or placed under US control following the boarding.

The vessel reportedly left Venezuelan waters on January 3, the same day that former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro was captured during a US-backed operation, carrying nearly two million barrels of crude and fuel oil. Shipping analysts note that the Veronica III has been involved in transporting oil linked to Venezuelan, Russian, and Iranian sources.

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