US forces boarded the sanctioned oil tanker Veronica III in the Indian Ocean in an operation targeting illicit Venezuelan oil shipments, the Department of War said.
Tracking the tanker
The Veronica III left Venezuela on 3 January 2026, the same day US forces captured former President Nicolás Maduro. The tanker carried nearly 2 million barrels of crude and fuel oil.
The Department of War tracked the vessel from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean before executing a “right-of-visit, maritime interdiction and boarding.”
“The vessel tried to defy President Trump’s quarantine – hoping to slip away,” the department said. “International waters are not sanctuary. By land, air, or sea, we will find you and deliver justice.”
Sanctions and context
The tanker flies a Panamanian flag and has been under US sanctions related to Iran, according to the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control. Panama cancelled its registration in December 2024.
The operation forms part of broader US enforcement on Venezuelan oil. Venezuela relies on a shadow fleet of falsely flagged tankers to ship crude. The Department of War said no other nation can match its reach or endurance in maritime interdictions.
International and media response
The Department of War posted video footage showing US troops boarding the tanker. After Maduro’s capture, several other tankers fled Venezuelan waters.
TankerTrackers.com reported that the Veronica III has carried Russian, Iranian, and Venezuelan oil since 2023.
Also read: Second attack wave on Venezuela canceled, $100B oil deal
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