By Jonathan Gilbert WASHINGTON, June 5 – U.S. forces intercepted the sanctioned oil tanker Davina overnight in the Indian Ocean, according to the U.S. military's Indo-Pacific Command. The U.S. has imposed a blockade o...
By Jonathan Gilbert
WASHINGTON, June 5 – U.S. forces intercepted the sanctioned oil tanker Davina overnight in the Indian Ocean, according to the U.S. military's Indo-Pacific Command.
The U.S. has imposed a blockade on Iran's maritime trade, while Iran has fired on ships to stop them from passing through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway leading into the Middle East Gulf.
In recent months, U.S. forces have intercepted several commercial and oil tankers in the Indian Ocean.
In a post on X, the Indo-Pacific Command stated, “We will continue global maritime enforcement to disrupt illegal networks and stop vessels that support Iran, no matter where they operate.”
The Davina, a supertanker that can hold up to two million barrels of crude oil, was placed under U.S. sanctions in October 2024 for engaging in Iranian oil trading, according to ship tracking data.
On June 5, the vessel, also known as the Lenore, was last tracked near the southern coast of Sri Lanka, based on data from the MarineTraffic platform.
Additional shipping data indicated that the vessel was nearly fully loaded with oil cargo.