U.S. military and Coast Guard forces conducted another pre-dawn operation in the Caribbean, seizing the sanctioned motor tanker Veronica. This action is part of the ongoing effort by Washington to clamp down on vessels involved in Venezuela's illegal oil trade.
Marines and sailors from Joint Task Force Southern Spear, working from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), successfully took control of the tanker without any incidents, according to U.S. Southern Command. The operation received support from the Navy’s Amphibious Ready Group, which includes USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7), USS San Antonio (LPD 17), and USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD 28).
In a statement, U.S. Southern Command emphasized, “Through #OpSouthernSpear, the Department of War is committed to combating illegal activities in the Western Hemisphere. The only oil leaving Venezuela will be oil that is properly and legally coordinated.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem noted that a Coast Guard tactical team carried out the early morning boarding and seizure.
“As another sanctioned ghost fleet tanker, the Motor Tanker Veronica had previously traveled through Venezuelan waters and was operating against former President Trump’s quarantine on sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean,” Noem explained.
She added, “Through close collaboration with our colleagues in the Departments of War, State, and Justice, our dedicated Coast Guard personnel ensured that the operation was executed flawlessly in compliance with international law. As we've shown through multiple boardings, American justice cannot be outrun or escaped — period.”
According to maritime intelligence firm TankerTrackers, the empty, U.S.-sanctioned Aframax tanker Veronica (IMO 9256860) was last seen leaving Venezuela’s Amuay terminal on January 3. The vessel has a history of being part of a shadow fleet, having “directly exported Iranian oil 10 times and received Iranian oil 5 times via STS, as well as Venezuelan oil twice,” with illicit activities starting in 2020.
The crude oil tanker Veronica (formerly known as Pegas) was sanctioned by the U.S. on February 22, 2022, due to its ownership by PSB Lizing OOO, a leasing subsidiary of Russia’s state-controlled Promsvyazbank (PSB), designated by OFAC for operating in sectors related to Russia’s defense and financial services. At the time of sanctioning, the vessel was registered in Russia; however, current records indicate its latest flag-state registration is Guyana.
This seizure follows reports from Reuters indicating that U.S. authorities have filed court warrants to confiscate numerous additional tankers linked to Venezuela’s oil trade. In recent weeks, the military and Coast Guard have seized six vessels in international waters as part of a campaign that included the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on January 3.
The Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell stated Friday that the Department of War and other agencies will “hunt down and interdict ALL dark fleet vessels transporting Venezuelan oil at the time and place of our choosing.”
Earlier seizures included the Olina on January 9, the M Sophia and Bella 1 (formerly Marinera) on January 7, and the VLCC Skipper and tanker Centuries in December. These recent actions reflect a change in the U.S. enforcement strategy, now focusing on confiscating both vessels and their cargoes, rather than just targeting oil shipments.
This crackdown has prompted strong criticism from Moscow and Caracas. Russia’s Foreign Ministry has condemned these operations as “the illegal use of force” and warned that it might retaliate by seizing U.S.-flagged ships.
The surge in enforcement comes after the Trump administration announced that Venezuela’s interim government agreed to deliver between 30 million and 50 million barrels of sanctioned crude oil to the United States. With storage capacity at Venezuelan ports nearing its limits and PDVSA facing further production cuts, this move could redirect Venezuelan oil flows away from Asia and bring them under U.S. control for the first time in decades.