US Military Boards Second Tanker in the Indian Ocean

The United States military board has found an oil tanker in the Indian Ocean after following it from the Caribbean. It is suspected that it was trying to help Venezuela avoid US sanctions. This is the second time the US has intercepted the Panamanian-flagged Veronica III in the Indian Ocean this week. This situation occurred in the midst of the US efforts to halt oil exports from Venezuela, which are under sanction.  

Since last year, the US has seized at least seven oil tankers after the Trump administration took a move to control the supply of Venezuelan oil. The Pentagon statement on Sunday defied the operation as “a right of visit, maritime interdiction and boarding”. However, the statement did not clarify whether the US board seized the vessel or allowed it to continue its journey. 

“The vessel tried to defy President Trump’s quarantine – hoping to slip away,” the Pentagon added. He further said, “We tracked it from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean, closed the distance, and shut it down. No other nation has the reach, endurance, or will to do this. International waters are not a sanctuary. By land, air, or sea, we will find you and deliver justice.”

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The Veronica III was carrying 1.9 million barrels of crude oil at the time of departure. It is believed to have been involved in transporting Russian, Iranian, and Venezuelan oil since 2023.