US seizes sixth Venezuelan oil tanker Veronica in Caribbean to expand shadow fleet blockade.

On January 15, 2026, the United States seized a sixth crude oil tanker, the Motor Tanker Veronica, in the Caribbean Sea, citing its involvement in sanctioned Venezuelan oil transport and violations of a U.S.-declared maritime blockade.

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced on January 15, 2026, that U.S. forces boarded and seized the Motor Tanker Veronica in international waters of the Caribbean Sea. The vessel was identified by U.S. authorities as a sanctioned crude oil tanker linked to Venezuelan oil movements and interdicted under the maritime blockade imposed by President Donald Trump.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link

The action took place in international waters and was executed by a U.S. Coast Guard tactical team, with personnel descending by rope onto the vessel, indicating a helicopter-supported boarding method. (Picture source: X/Kristi Noem)

Kristi Noem, when announcing the pre-dawn boarding and seizure of a sixth crude oil tanker, the Motor Tanker Veronica, in the Caribbean Sea, identified the vessel as a sanctioned tanker linked to Venezuelan oil movements and operating in violation of the naval blockade imposed by Donald Trump on sanctioned shipping. The action took place in international waters and was executed by a U.S. Coast Guard tactical team as part of a sustained maritime enforcement campaign. The tanker had previously passed through Venezuelan waters and was classified by U.S. authorities as part of a shadow fleet facilitating sanctioned oil transport. The seizure was carried out in the early morning hours and resulted in the vessel being taken under U.S. control without reported resistance.

U.S. officials framed the operation as a law-enforcement action focused on tanker interdiction rather than a naval engagement. The seizure occurred within the broader context of Washington asserting direct oversight over Venezuelan oil flows. The announcement of the operation was made by Kristi Noem, who confirmed that the boarding involved coordination with the Departments of War, State, and Justice. Video footage released in connection with the seizure depicted personnel descending by rope onto the vessel, indicating a helicopter-supported boarding method. U.S. military assets supported the operation, with Marines and sailors operating in conjunction with the Coast Guard.

These forces launched from USS Gerald R. Ford, following a pattern established during earlier tanker seizures in the region. The Motor Tanker Veronica has an overall length of about 249 meters and a beam of about 44 meters, dimensions consistent with a large Aframax to Suezmax-class crude carrier, and it is listed with a gross tonnage of about 61,991 tons and a deadweight of about 115,500 tons, enabling the transport of substantial crude oil cargoes. Recent AIS data list the tanker under the flag of Guyana, while historical records show multiple flag and name changes over its service life, including periods under Iranian, Russian, Liberian, and Dutch registries.

This pattern is often associated with older tankers operating in sanction-affected trade. Available information shows that the tanker’s shadow fleet carrier began in 2020, when it directly exported Iranian oil on ten occasions, reflecting ten separate voyages in which Iranian crude was carried on board from origin to destination without intermediate ship-to-ship (STS) transfer. In addition to those direct exports, the Veronica has received Iranian oil five times via ship-to-ship (STS) transfers at sea, which are practices commonly used by sanctioned fleets to conceal cargo origin or destination, and has also received Venezuelan oil twice via STS operations.

The seizure of Veronica brought to six the number of Venezuela-linked oil tankers taken under U.S. control in recent weeks. Earlier interceptions included the tanker Marinera, formerly known as Bella-1, which was seized in the North Atlantic after a pursuit lasting more than two weeks. That vessel, which had been sailing under a Russian flag at the time of interception, was about to be directly protected by a Russian submarine, and was identified as part of the same network moving sanctioned crude. Additional seizures involved the tankers Olina and Sophia, both intercepted in Caribbean waters under the same quarantine framework. Each of these vessels had either carried Venezuelan oil or had done so in the past. The cumulative number of seizures reflects a rapid escalation in tanker-focused enforcement actions.

Following the declaration in December 2025 of a naval blockade targeting sanctioned tankers entering or leaving Venezuela, tanker movements linked to Venezuelan crude shifted markedly. Several vessels reversed course after loading, while others remained anchored near Venezuelan or Caribbean waters to reduce seizure risk. U.S. authorities identified repeated patterns among targeted tankers, including frequent name changes, flag switches, and unclear ownership structures. These characteristics were present across multiple seized vessels, including those taken before Veronica. The blockade significantly reduced the number of tankers able to depart Venezuelan ports. As a result, tanker traffic associated with Venezuelan crude exports fell to a fraction of previous levels.

One core reason behind the tanker interdiction campaign is the central role of maritime transport in sustaining sanctioned oil exports. Venezuela relies almost entirely on seaborne shipments to move crude to external markets, making tankers the primary logistical enablers of sanction evasion. Shadow fleet vessels have been used to obscure cargo origin, manipulate tracking signals, and conduct ship-to-ship transfers. By targeting tankers directly, U.S. authorities seek to disrupt export capacity at the physical level. This approach contrasts with earlier reliance on financial restrictions and designation lists. The result has been a sharp contraction in unauthorized tanker movements linked to Venezuelan oil.

A second driver of the campaign is Washington’s objective to control Venezuelan oil revenues during the political transition following the capture of former President Nicolás Maduro in early January 2026. U.S. officials have stated that seized oil cargoes may be sold or otherwise managed under U.S. supervision. The stated goal is to prevent Venezuelan crude from reaching markets without U.S. authorization, particularly destinations in Asia. Under this framework, tanker seizures serve both enforcement and revenue-control functions. Only shipments coordinated with U.S. authorities are permitted to proceed. This policy has redirected remaining Venezuelan oil exports toward limited, approved routes.

Alongside these operations, the United Kingdom is preparing to authorize the direct military seizure of shadow fleet oil tankers suspected of evading sanctions linked to Russian, Iranian, and Venezuelan oil exports, marking a significant escalation in its maritime enforcement posture. British ministers have identified a domestic legal basis allowing the boarding, detention, and control of vessels that are unflagged, falsely flagged, or otherwise not legitimately registered, on the grounds that such ships fall outside standard legal protections at sea. This approach relies in particular on provisions of the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018, which permit shipping sanctions against specified or disqualified vessels, including those owned, operated, or controlled by designated persons or sanctioned states. While no UK military boarding has yet taken place, preparatory work has been underway for several weeks to determine how Royal Navy surface ships, supported by surveillance aircraft and potentially special forces boarding teams, could be employed if political authorization is granted.

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.