US Military Boards Another Oil Tanker in Indian Ocean

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The U.S. military boarded another sanctioned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean after tracking the vessel from the Caribbean Sea. The move is part of an effort to target illicit oil exports connected to Venezuela, which has faced U.S. sanctions on its oil for several years.

Why it matters

The U.S. has been cracking down on Venezuela's shadow fleet of falsely flagged tankers used to smuggle crude oil in defiance of sanctions. This latest boarding operation demonstrates the U.S. military's ongoing efforts to enforce the sanctions and disrupt Venezuela's ability to export oil.

The details

The tanker boarded, the Veronica III, is a Panamanian-flagged vessel under U.S. sanctions related to Iran. It left Venezuela on January 3, the same day as the capture of former President Nicolás Maduro, carrying nearly 2 million barrels of crude and fuel oil. The U.S. military tracked the vessel from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean before boarding it.

• The Veronica III left Venezuela on January 3, 2026.
• The U.S. military boarded the tanker overnight in the Indian Ocean.

What’s next

The Pentagon did not specify whether the Veronica III was formally seized and placed under U.S. control, and later told the AP it had no additional information to provide beyond the initial post.