US forces board sanctioned oil tanker in Indian Ocean
By Kenneth Mwenda, February 15, 2026US military forces have boarded a sanctioned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean after tracking it thousands of miles from the Caribbean Sea. The Defence Department says the operation took place on February 15, 2026 and was completed without resistance.
The tanker, Veronica III, is on a U.S. sanctions list because of its links with Iran and its involvement in moving oil that breaches sanctions. It left Venezuela on January 3, the same day Maduro was captured by the US, with a large load of crude and fuel.
US forces tracked the vessel from the Caribbean Sea before boarding it in international waters in the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command area of responsibility.
In a statement on X, the Pentagon said it carried out a right-of-visit, maritime interdiction and boarding after the tanker tried to evade U.S. sanctions. The Defence Department wrote:
“The vessel tried to defy President Trump’s quarantine — hoping to slip away.”
The department added:
“We tracked it from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean, closed the distance, and shut it down.”
A short video released by the military showed U.S. personnel boarding the tanker.
Trump’s quarantine hits targets
President Donald Trump’s administration imposed a quarantine on sanctioned oil tankers in December 2025. The stated aim was to cut revenue to the Venezuelan government and pressure those who trade oil in violation of U.S. sanctions.
Several tankers reportedly tried to flee the Venezuelan coast after the quarantine went into effect.
The Veronica III sails under a Panamanian flag. According to ship-tracking data posted online, it was loaded with nearly 2 million barrels of crude and fuel oil when it left Venezuela.
The ship has previously been linked to Iranian, Russian and Venezuelan oil movements.
Officials say this is part of broader efforts to enforce sanctions against vessels that operate in so-called “shadow fleet” networks. These networks use false flags and hidden movements to carry sanctioned oil into global markets. U.S. military defections or other violence did not occur during the boarding.
The Department of War posted: “We defend the Homeland forward. Distance does not protect you.” They added:
“No other nation has the reach, endurance, or will to do this.” The statement ended with a clear warning: “International waters are not a sanctuary. By land, air, or sea, we will find you and deliver justice. The Department of War will deny illicit actors and their proxies freedom of movement in the maritime domain.”
This marks at least the ninth tanker the US has seized or stopped in recent months as part of the crackdown on the shadow fleet. These ships use false flags and dark operations to sell sanctioned oil.
Experts say hundreds of such vessels still operate worldwide, so this action hits only a small part of the trade.
Last week, U.S. forces also boarded another tanker in the Indian Ocean, Aquila II, showing how far these operations can reach.