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US Seizes ‘Venezuelan’ tanker in Indian ocean over Trump sanctions
Sreengrab from a video showing US forces descending from a helicopter onto the deck of Aquila II oil tanker.
The United States has seized a Venezuela‑linked vessel in the Indian Ocean for violating sanctions imposed by President Donald Trump.
The Pentagon said its forces intercepted the tanker Aquila II in the Indian Ocean after tracking it from the Caribbean, where it was operating in breach of the quarantine on sanctioned vessels.
“Overnight, US military forces conducted a right‑of‑visit, maritime interdiction and boarding on the Aquila II without incident,” the Pentagon said in a post on X on Tuesday.
According to the statement, the tanker was operating in defiance of President Trump’s quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean and attempted to evade US forces.
“No other country on planet Earth has the ability to impose its will across any territory. On land, in the air, or at sea, our Armed Forces will find you and bring you to justice. You will run out of fuel long before you outrun us.”
The Panama‑flagged Aquila II had left Venezuelan waters in early January carrying 700,000 barrels of crude oil, according to records from Venezuela’s state oil company PDVSA.
The Pentagon did not provide details on the tanker’s ownership, cargo, or current status following the boarding, nor did it say whether any crew members were detained. But Western media reports indicate that the vessel is carrying heavy crude oil meant for Chinese refineries.
Aquila II appears in the War & Sanctions portal, created by the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, as a vessel involved in transporting sanctioned Russian and Venezuelan crude oil.
The ship is classified as a crude oil tanker with a deadweight of 159,073 tonnes. It is considered part of the so‑called “shadow fleet” associated with SUNNE Co Limited, which the US added to its sanctions list on January 10, 2025. On the same day, the US also sanctioned the vessel itself. Restrictions were subsequently imposed by the UK, EU, Canada, Switzerland, and Ukraine.
As of July 2025, the ship’s official flag was unknown, although it was sailing under the Panamanian flag.
Controversial attacks
The US has conducted what it calls Operation Southern Spear since September 2025, a military and counter‑narcotics campaign in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific that has heightened tensions with Venezuela. The attacks were controversial as Washington provided little evidence on those it killed to show they were traffickers.
In January, the US Treasury Department eased sanctions on Venezuela’s oil sector after the Trump administration abducted President Nicolás Maduro whom it blamed for overseeing the narcotics trade. However, Washington maintained its blockade on Venezuela‑linked shipping.
At least seven oil tankers have been seized by the US since last year, as the Trump administration moves to control the supply of Venezuelan oil, the country’s main economic resource. On 7 January, the US military intercepted the oil tanker Marinera, formerly known as Bella‑1 and now flying the Russian flag.
The US blockade curtailed Venezuelan oil exports, with only Chevron‑linked vessels bound for the US continuing to operate as usual.
