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U.S. forces successful the Caribbean Sea person seized different sanctioned lipid tanker that the Trump medication says has ties to Venezuela, portion of a broader U.S. effort to instrumentality power of the South American country's oil.
The U.S. Coast Guard boarded the tanker, named Veronica, aboriginal Thursday (January 15, 2026), Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote connected societal media. The vessel had antecedently passed done Venezuelan waters and was operating successful defiance of President Donald Trump's "established quarantine of sanctioned vessels successful the Caribbean,” she said.
U.S. Southern Command said Marines and sailors launched from the craft bearer USS Gerald R. Ford to instrumentality portion successful the cognition alongside a Coast Guard tactical team, which Ms. Noem said conducted the boarding arsenic successful erstwhile raids. The subject said the vessel was seized “without incident.”
Several U.S. authorities societal media accounts posted little videos that appeared to amusement assorted parts of the ship's capture. Black-and-white footage showed astatine slightest 4 helicopters approaching the vessel earlier hovering implicit the platform portion equipped troops dropped down by rope. At slightest 9 radical could beryllium seen connected the platform of the ship.
The Veronica is the sixth sanctioned tanker seized by U.S. forces arsenic portion of the effort by Mr. Trump's medication to power the production, refining, and planetary organisation of Venezuela's lipid products and the 4th since the U.S. ouster of Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro successful a astonishment night-time raid astir 2 weeks ago.
The Veronica past transmitted its determination connected January 3, stating it was astatine anchor disconnected the seashore of Aruba, conscionable northbound of Venezuela's main lipid terminal. According to the information it transmitted astatine the time, it was partially filled with crude.
The vessel is presently listed arsenic flying the emblem of Guyana and is considered portion of the shadiness fleet that moves cargoes of lipid successful usurpation of U.S. sanctions.
According to its registration data, the vessel has been known arsenic the Galileo , owned and managed by a institution successful Russia. In addition, a tanker with the aforesaid registration fig antecedently sailed nether the sanction Pegas and was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department for moving cargoes of illicit Russian oil.
As with anterior posts astir specified raids, Ms. Noem and the subject framed the seizure arsenic portion of an effort to enforce the law. Ms. Noem argued that the aggregate captures amusement that “there is nary outrunning oregon escaping American justice.” Speaking to reporters astatine the White House aboriginal Thursday (January 16, 2026), Ms. Noem declined to accidental however galore sanctioned lipid tankers the U.S. is tracking oregon whether the authorities is keeping tabs connected freighters beyond the Caribbean Sea.
“I can't talk to the specifics of the operation, though we are watching the full shadiness fleet and however they're moving,” she told reporters.
However, different officials successful Mr. Trump's Republican medication person made wide that they spot the actions arsenic a mode to make currency arsenic they question to rebuild Venezuela's battered lipid manufacture and reconstruct its economy.
Mr. Trump met with executives from lipid companies past week to sermon his extremity of investing USD 100 cardinal successful Venezuela to repair and upgrade its lipid accumulation and distribution. His medication has said it expects to merchantability astatine slightest 30 cardinal to 50 cardinal barrels of sanctioned Venezuelan oil.
