The U.S. military recently seized the crude oil tanker Veronica in the Caribbean Sea, marking the sixth interdiction of a vessel linked to Venezuela in recent weeks. The operation was conducted without incident, according to U.S. officials, and aimed at enforcing U.S. sanctions against Venezuela.
Operation Details
U.S. Marines and sailors, supported by a Coast Guard tactical team, conducted a pre-dawn boarding of the Motor Tanker Veronica. Forces were launched from the USS Gerald R. Ford as part of operations identified by the U.S. Southern Command as "Operation Southern Spear" or Joint Task Force Southern Spear.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and the U.S. Southern Command confirmed the action, stating the vessel was operating in defiance of President Donald Trump’s established "quarantine of sanctioned vessels" in the Caribbean. Secretary Noem stated the operation was carried out with "close coordination" with military, state, and justice departments and was "in accordance with international law." The Southern Command stated that "The only oil leaving Venezuela will be oil that is coordinated properly and lawfully."
Vessel Information
The Veronica is an 815-foot crude oil tanker. Marine records and monitoring services indicate it was sailing under a Guyanese flag and departed empty from Venezuelan waters in early January. Its last recorded position 12 days prior to the seizure was off the coast of Venezuela. The International Maritime Organization’s database shows the vessel was previously registered in Russia under different names. It was also identified as formerly known as the Texas Star, operating in Tranmere, UK, in April 2019. U.S. officials described the vessel as part of a "sanctioned ghost fleet."
Context of Sanctions Enforcement
This seizure is part of ongoing U.S. efforts against vessels transporting sanctioned oil, often referred to as the "dark fleet," and addresses what the U.S. Department of War has described as "illicit activity in the Western Hemisphere." The U.S. has asserted that Venezuela uses false-flag tankers or vessels with canceled registrations to disguise its operations.
Previous interdictions include the vessel Olina in the Caribbean Sea near Trinidad and the Russian-flagged oil tanker Marinera in the Atlantic. The current series of seizures follows the recent capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, who are facing federal charges in the U.S., including narcoterrorism conspiracy and conspiracy to import cocaine. They have entered not guilty pleas to these charges.
Economic and Diplomatic Developments
The U.S. is collaborating with what it refers to as Venezuela’s interim government to manage the country’s oil sales. President Trump previously announced an agreement with Venezuelan interim leaders to provide up to 50 million barrels of crude oil to the U.S. An executive order was also signed to safeguard Venezuelan oil revenues in U.S.-controlled accounts. The U.S. recently completed its first sale of Venezuelan oil, valued at $500 million.
Shipping-analytics provider Kpler reported that crude oil loadings onto ships from Venezuela fell to approximately half of normal levels in January. Kpler estimated that as of January 13, about 15.5 million barrels of crude oil were on 17 tankers in Venezuelan waters, not including ships already bound for the U.S.
The latest tanker seizure occurred hours before President Trump was scheduled to meet with MarĂa Corina Machado, a Venezuelan opposition leader, at the White House to discuss Venezuela’s future. Additionally, a Venezuelan government envoy, FĂ©lix Plasencia, was expected to travel to Washington to meet U.S. officials and begin steps toward reopening the country’s embassy.