Footage of U.S. forces seizing a sixth Venezuela-linked oil tanker in Caribbean Sea

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Interception footage shows U.S. military and Coast Guard personnel boarding the oil tanker Veronica in the Caribbean Sea on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, as part of an ongoing campaign to enforce sanctions against Venezuela-linked vessels, U.S. officials said. The operation, carried out without incident, involved Coast Guard tactical teams and Marines from Joint Task Force Southern Spear, launched from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and supported by U.S. Navy amphibious ships. U.S. Southern Command said the tanker had been operating in violation of a quarantine on sanctioned vessels imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the action was conducted under coordinated authority with the Departments of Defence, Homeland Security, State, and Justice. Veronica, listed with IMO number 9256860 and sailing under a Guyanese flag, has previously called at Venezuelan waters and is believed to be part of a so-called “shadow fleet” of sanctioned vessels. The seizure marks at least the sixth tanker interdicted under the U.S. operation aimed at curbing illicit oil shipments in defiance of sanctions, following other captures in recent weeks. Supporters of the blockade say it targets illicit maritime trade networks, while critics — including Russia and Venezuela — have called the actions unlawful.