In a significant escalation of maritime enforcement, United States military forces have seized another foreign-flagged oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea. The action, carried out in support of former President Donald Trump's sanctions regime against Venezuela, marks the sixth known boarding of its kind.
Pre-Dawn Raid on the Veronica
The operation targeted the crude oil tanker Veronica. According to marine records, the vessel sails under a Guyanese flag. US Southern Command announced that marines and sailors boarded the tanker in a pre-dawn action on 15 January 2026.
The mission was launched from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) and conducted alongside the US Coast Guard, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Justice. Official social media posts included grainy, black-and-white aerial footage appearing to show service members fast-roping from a helicopter onto the tanker's deck.
"[Forces] apprehended Motor/Tanker Veronica without incident," the statement read. It described the Veronica as "the latest tanker operating in defiance of President Trump's established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean, proving the effectiveness of Operation Southern Spear yet again."
Location and Recent Context of the Seizures
The precise location of the interception was not disclosed. However, data from marinetraffic.com indicates the 815-foot (249-metre) vessel's last recorded position, twelve days prior, was off the coast of Venezuela.
This seizure is part of a concerted campaign following the capture and removal to the US of Venezuela's president, Nicolás Maduro, earlier in January. Just one day before the Veronica operation, on Friday, Southern Command announced the boarding of a vessel named Olina near Trinidad, which was the fifth interdiction in recent weeks. That assault was also launched from the USS Gerald R. Ford.
Broadening Campaign Against Venezuela
The Trump administration has aggressively moved to control the global distribution of Venezuela's oil since ousting Maduro. Southern Command's statement on Thursday underscored this hardline stance: "The Department of War is unwavering in its mission to crush illicit activity in the Western Hemisphere."
Separately, the US has conducted a series of strikes on suspected drug-running boats off the Venezuelan coast since the autumn, indicating a multi-front pressure campaign against the South American nation.
The seizure of the Veronica demonstrates the ongoing and intensifying enforcement of US sanctions through direct military action in Caribbean waters, significantly impacting the maritime oil trade linked to Venezuela.
