WASHINGTON (AFP) — In a dramatic long-range maritime enforcement operation, US military forces have successfully intercepted and seized an oil tanker in the Indian Ocean that was attempting to evade President Trump’s sanctioned vessel blockade. The Pentagon confirmed Monday that the Aquila II was boarded without incident during overnight operations.
The vessel had been operating in violation of the established US quarantine of sanctioned ships in the Caribbean region before attempting to flee. Pentagon officials stated on social media platform X that the tanker ‘ran, and we followed,’ emphasizing the determined pursuit across ocean basins. The operation was documented with video footage showing US special operations forces fast-roping from helicopters onto the tanker’s deck.
This seizure marks the eighth such enforcement action since President Trump’s December directive establishing a blockade against oil vessels traveling to and from Venezuela. It represents the second instance where US forces have pursued a sanctioned vessel beyond the Caribbean region, following last month’s apprehension of a Russia-linked tanker in the North Atlantic after a similar chase originating near Venezuela.
The Washington administration has significantly increased naval presence in the Caribbean, conducting multifaceted operations including drug interdiction missions, tanker seizures, and the controversial operation targeting Venezuela’s socialist leader Nicolás Maduro. Despite these high-profile seizures, captured vessels constitute only a minimal fraction of the estimated 800-strong global ‘dark fleet’ of sanctioned ships operating worldwide, as noted by Rear Admiral David Barata of the US Coast Guard in recent congressional testimony.