The United States (U.S) seized a sixth Venezuela-linked oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea amid sanctions enforcement.
According to the U.S forces, the ship Veronica was controlled because it was operating against Trump’s rule.
“The vessel, Veronica, was boarded in a predawn operation without incident, as it was defying President Donald Trump’s quarantine of sanctioned vessels,” said the The U.S. military’s Southern Command.
The Southern Command reiterated that the only oil leaving Venezuela will be oil that is properly coordinated and lawfully exported.
‘The only oil leaving Venezuela will be oil that is coordinated properly and lawfully.”
In addition to seizing the Veronica, the United States has intensified its campaign against vessels moving Venezuelan oil in violation of U.S. sanctions, targeting a series of tankers linked to a so‑called shadow fleet.
U.S. forces have interdicted several ships in recent weeks as part of a maritime blockade targeting sanctioned oil shipments.
Many tankers have been accused of operating under false flags or changing identities to evade enforcement, prompting the U.S. to pursue legal warrants and broader interdiction orders against multiple vessels.
Previous Seized Oil Vessels by the U.S
Before the seizure of the Veronica, U.S. authorities had captured multiple oil tankers linked to sanctioned Venezuelan oil shipments, all as part of Operation Southern Spear, a sustained enforcement campaign in the Caribbean.
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Some of the notable seizures include:
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Olina – It was seized in early January in the Caribbean. This was the fifth vessel taken under the U.S. sanctions blockade.
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Marinera (formerly Bella‑1) – A Russian‑flagged tanker intercepted in the North Atlantic after attempting to evade the U.S. blockade, illustrating the international scope of the operation.
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Sophia – It was intercepted near Venezuela, suspected of transporting sanctioned oil as part of the so-called shadow fleet.
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Skipper and Centuries – Earlier in the operation, these vessels were seized while transporting embargoed oil under false or abandoned registrations.
About the Aframax Tanker Veronica
The Veronica is an Aframax tanker flying the flag of Guyana. It departed Venezuelan waters empty in early January, based on shipping documents from Venezuela’s state oil company PDVSA and ship-tracking data.
It is the sixth sanctioned tanker seized by U.S. forces as part of the effort by Trump’s administration to control the production, refining, and global distribution of Venezuela’s oil products.
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The vessel last transmitted its location on January 3, 2026, reporting that it was at anchor off the coast of Aruba, just north of Venezuela’s main oil terminal, partially filled with crude.
The ship is currently listed as flying the flag of Guyana and is considered part of the shadow fleet that transports oil in violation of U.S. sanctions.
According to its registration data, the ship has also been known as the Galileo and is owned and managed by a Russian company.
Elsewhere, a tanker with the same registration number previously sailed under the name Pegas and was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department for carrying illicit Russian oil.
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