The United States military has executed its second maritime interception operation within a week, boarding the Panamanian-flagged oil tanker Veronica III in the Indian Ocean following an extensive surveillance operation that originated in the Caribbean Sea. The Pentagon released operational footage showing special forces personnel boarding the vessel, which had been under tracking surveillance for suspected involvement in circumventing U.S. sanctions against Venezuela.
This strategic operation represents the latest escalation in the Trump administration’s comprehensive campaign to restrict Venezuela’s oil exports, with at least seven tankers seized since last year. The Department of Defense characterized the mission as “a right-of-visit, maritime interdiction and boarding” exercise, though officials did not confirm whether the vessel was ultimately seized or permitted to continue its journey.
According to monitoring data from TankerTrackers.com, the Veronica III departed Venezuelan waters on January 3rd, coinciding with the controversial capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro during a raid on his presidential compound in Caracas. The vessel was reportedly carrying approximately 1.9 million barrels of crude oil at departure and has been implicated in transporting Russian, Iranian, and Venezuelan oil since 2023.
The Pentagon issued a stark warning in its official statement: “Distance does not protect you. The vessel tried to defy President Trump’s quarantine – hoping to slip away. We tracked it from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean, closed the distance, and shut it down. No other nation has the reach, endurance, or will to do this. International waters are not sanctuary. By land, air, or sea, we will find you and deliver justice.”
This operation follows last week’s boarding of the Aquila II, another tanker similarly “tracked and hunted” into the Indian Ocean. The intensified enforcement stems from President Trump’s December announcement ordering a blockade of sanctioned oil tankers operating in Venezuelan waters, which the Maduro government has condemned as “theft.”
The economic impact has been substantial, with Venezuelan oil exports dramatically reduced to approximately 400,000 barrels per day in January—roughly half previous levels—according to Kpler analytics. Only vessels associated with Chevron and destined for U.S. ports continue normal operations amid the escalating maritime enforcement campaign.