US Forces Seize Another Oil Vessel in the Indian Ocean
The United States military has once again intercepted an oil tanker in the Indian Ocean. This recent action is part of a broader strategy to cut off illegal oil linked to Venezuela. The tanker that was targeted had been under surveillance from the Caribbean Sea before being boarded.
Venezuela and Illicit Oil Trade
For several years, Venezuela has been under sanctions from the United States, which has affected its oil industry. To circumvent these sanctions, the country has been using a network of deceptively flagged tankers to sneak crude oil into the global market. To further intensify pressure on Venezuela's then-President Nicolás Maduro, the US imposed a quarantine on these sanction-evading vessels in December.
Maduro was later detained in January during a US military operation. In response to this, multiple tankers evacuated the Venezuelan coast, including the one that was recently boarded in the Indian Ocean.
Details of the Intercepted Tanker
The US Defense Department made a statement about the incident, explaining that US forces boarded the vessel, known as Veronica III, and conducted a "right-of-visit, maritime interdiction and boarding." They added that the vessel tried to evade the quarantine but was traced from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean, where it was finally shut down.
Security footage released by the Pentagon shows US troops boarding the ship. Veronica III, a tanker flying under Panama's flag, was under US sanctions due to connections with Iran. However, the Panama Maritime Authority announced that the ship's registration had been canceled back in December 2024.
After Maduro's detention on January 3, Veronica III departed from Venezuela carrying nearly two million barrels of crude and fuel oil. Since 2023, the ship has been linked with the oil industries of Russia, Iran, and Venezuela.
Tracking Illicit Oil Trade
TankerTrackers.com, an organization dedicated to monitoring global oil transportation, has been instrumental in gathering data on these illicit activities. They used satellite imagery and ground-level photographs to confirm that at least 16 tankers left the Venezuelan coast, violating the quarantine.
US Strategy to Curb Illicit Oil
The seizure of tankers by the US military is a part of their larger plan to control Venezuela's oil. However, the Pentagon did not formally announce if Veronica III was officially seized and now under US control. The authorities declined to provide any additional information beyond their initial statement.
Just last week, the US military seized another tanker in the Indian Ocean, the Aquila II. The vessel is currently in custody while the US decides its fate.