US Special Forces' ghost ship MV Ocean Trader appears off Venezuela’s coast.

The US confirmed that the MV Ocean Trader, a Special Forces support vessel nicknamed a “ghost ship” because it often operates without public tracking or naval markings, is deployed in the Caribbean.

The US Military Sealift Command confirmed to Task & Purpose on September 25, 2025, that the MV Ocean Trader, a Special Forces support vessel often described as a “ghost ship”, is now operating in the Caribbean. The ship, which frequently sails without broadcasting its location on civilian tracking systems, is designed to blend in with ordinary merchant vessels while secretly supporting covert operations.
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The MV Ocean Trader's arrival in the Caribbean marks the ship’s first known deployment in this region and coincides with the largest US naval buildup near Venezuela in decades. (Picture source: X/MT Anderson and Ian Ellis)

According to Task & Purpose, the US Military Sealift Command has confirmed that the MV Ocean Trader is currently operating in the Caribbean, though its specific mission has not been disclosed, and the U.S. Special Operations Command has declined to comment. The confirmation followed open-source satellite imagery shared by MT Anderson on September 20, 2025, which showed a ship with the same distinctive forward and aft superstructure as the Ocean Trader southwest of St. Kitts, and a separate photograph taken from St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. These sightings occurred only a few months after the ship was last observed in the Middle East at NSA Bahrain in May 2025. Analysts and retired naval officers have emphasized that the U.S. military has a long history of utilizing modified commercial ships for discreet special operations tasks, and the Ocean Trader has frequently been mentioned in this context.

The MV Ocean Trader began service as the commercial roll-on/roll-off cargo vessel MV Cragside, launched in 2010 by Odense Steel Shipyard for Maersk Line and completed in 2011. In November 2013, Maersk was awarded a $73 million contract to convert the ship into a Special Warfare Support vessel. The conversion followed a U.S. Navy request for a dual-screw ship able to sustain 20 knots with a range of 8,000 miles and an endurance of 45 days with a 50-person crew plus a surge capacity for 159 additional personnel. Requirements included underway replenishment capability for an additional 45 days at sea, helicopter hangars for aircraft up to the MH-53E, multiple aircraft refueling points supported by 150,000 gallons of JP-5 aviation fuel, and launch and recovery capacity for four 12.3-meter boats with two deployable simultaneously within 20 minutes.

The ship was also fitted with facilities for jet skis and Zodiac inflatables, maintenance workshops for aircraft and UAVs, a dive locker for up to 60 Naval Special Warfare personnel, a 40-person Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (a secure room or compartmented space designed to handle, store, and discuss classified information at the highest levels of security), a 20-person communications suite, berthing for 209 personnel, and a medical and surgical suite capable of treating 10 casualties. For close defense, six 0.5-inch machine gun mounts and external FLIR (Forward-Looking Infrared) thermal systems were installed, while modifications were designed to withstand extended stationary deployment in high-temperature conditions consistent with its original operational focus around the Horn of Africa.

The MV Ocean Trader measures 193 meters in length, 26 meters in beam, and 5.6 meters in draft, with a displacement of 20,980 tons and a top speed of 20 knots. It normally operates with a crew of 50 and up to 159 special forces personnel, bringing total accommodations to 209. The ship retains its commercial appearance with a white livery and minimal markings that allow it to blend with merchant shipping, which is a deliberate design feature. Observers have noted that the vessel frequently operates without transmitting its Automatic Identification System signal and has gone unlisted on port control systems during visits, such as its 2022 appearance in Fremantle, Australia. Photographs over the years have shown the ship outfitted with extensive communications arrays, a possible Insitu UAV launcher on the stern, and bays on the starboard side designed for launching stealthy Combat Craft-Assault boats used by special operators.

Its latest appearance coincides with the largest concentration of U.S. naval power in the Caribbean since the 1960s. Alongside the Ocean Trader, the destroyers USS Stockdale, USS Jason Dunham, and USS Gravely, the cruiser USS Lake Erie, the Littoral Combat Ship USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul, and the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group with USS Iwo Jima, USS San Antonio, and USS Fort Lauderdale are all operating in the area. The Los Angeles-class submarine USS Newport News is also deployed, bringing the total force in the region to approximately 4,500 personnel, including the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit embarked across amphibious ships. The Iwo Jima carries AV-8B Harrier jets and other aircraft, while Marine Corps F-35 Lightning II fighters have been deployed to Puerto Rico. Additional assets include P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft and MQ-9 Reaper drones. Satellite data placed the group about 700 kilometers north of Caracas in late September, with Iwo Jima operating south of Puerto Rico and Lake Erie at Ponce, Puerto Rico.

This build-up arrives after U.S. forces destroyed three suspected Venezuelan cartel-linked drug boats in September, killing 17 people. One operation was conducted jointly with the Dominican Republic, which reported recovering more than 1,000 kilograms of cocaine from a destroyed vessel, calling it the first such bilateral counternarcotics action with U.S. forces. The operations are conducted under executive orders classifying several Latin American cartels and gangs as foreign terrorist organizations, a designation that allows the use of military force against them. Analysts have emphasized that these strikes are the first publicly acknowledged U.S. lethal airstrikes in Latin America since the Panama invasion in 1989. The U.S. government has doubled the bounty on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to $50 million, further linking counternarcotics activity with political pressure on Caracas.

On at least two occasions, Venezuelan F-16s have flown close to these U.S. ships, which Washington described as provocative. President Donald Trump publicly stated that U.S. commanders have the authority to shoot down hostile aircraft if they pose a danger. Venezuela also accused the crew of USS Jason Dunham of boarding a fishing boat inside its exclusive economic zone and detaining it for several hours before releasing it, while a U.S. official countered that the search was conducted legally in international waters and no drugs were discovered. Meanwhile, US Air Force Special Operations Command units carried out airfield seizure drills in the Caribbean as part of an annual exercise, which officials explained were intended to simulate the geographic conditions forces may face worldwide.

In this case, the MV Ocean Trader's facilities allow it to function as barracks, a command center, and a mothership capable of launching small boats, helicopters, and drones in support of counter-narcotics, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations. Analysts stress that its low-profile design allows it to sustain special operations without attracting the same attention as a destroyer or amphibious ship. Its endurance is limited compared to larger combatants, which suggests that it may be rotated out or replaced by similar vessels to maintain ongoing operations. Nevertheless, the MV Ocean Trader’s deployment adds a discreet layer to the U.S. presence, complementing the overt deterrence provided by destroyers and Marines. By combining conventional naval power with specialized covert platforms, the United States has established a flexible and scalable force posture in the Caribbean that can adapt to both official enforcement missions... and as a form of pressure on the Maduro government.

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.