In a dramatic escalation of its campaign to enforce sanctions on Venezuelan oil exports, the United States early Friday carried out a pre-dawn military operation in the Caribbean Sea to seize another oil tanker, the Olina, U.S. Southern Command announced. The operation marks the fifth such interdiction of vessels in recent weeks suspected of evading a U.S. blockade designed to stem shipments of embargoed crude from Venezuela and other sanctioned sources.
U.S. Marines and Navy sailors, supported by the USS Gerald R. Ford, conducted the boarding and seizure of the Olina in international waters near Trinidad, deploying from the aircraft carrier in the early hours without reported incident. Unclassified video released by Southern Command showed a U.S. helicopter setting down on the tanker’s deck and personnel conducting a search before law enforcement elements assumed control.
Southern Command declared that “there is no safe haven for criminals,” reinforcing a message of deterrence as the United States intensifies pressure on vessels and networks it says are undermining sanctions enforcement.
According to U.S. officials and maritime tracking databases, the Olina had been operating as part of a so-called “ghost fleet” — a group of vessels that frequently sail under dubious flags of convenience, disable tracking systems, and avoid regulatory oversight in an effort to carry sanctioned crude to market. The ship was previously sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury under its former name, Minerva M, for transporting Russian oil while flagged in Panama. It had later claimed registry under Timor-Leste — though international maritime registries flagged that registration as false.
Ship-tracking records indicate that the Olina last broadcast its position in November in the Caribbean, northeast of the Venezuelan coast, before turning off its AIS beacon — a common tactic for illicit trade. The tanker is capable of carrying up to roughly 890,000 barrels of crude oil, with a market value of about $50-plus million at current prices.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem described the vessel on social media as having “departed Venezuela attempting to evade U.S. forces” and reiterated that “the ghost fleets will not outrun justice.” U.S. Coast Guard personnel — part of the Department of Homeland Security — took operational control of the tanker after the initial military boarding.
The Olina seizure comes amid a sweeping U.S. effort to control Venezuelan oil distribution globally following a significant uptick in tensions with Caracas. That campaign has included a buildup of U.S. forces in the Caribbean since late 2025, culminating in a coordinated naval and law-enforcement blockade aimed at disrupting sanctioned oil trade.
In recent days, U.S. forces have intercepted several other tankers linked to the so-called shadow fleet, including the M Sophia and a Russian-flagged vessel that had been pursued into the North Atlantic. These operations form part of what U.S. officials refer to as Operation Southern Spear, a combined Department of Homeland Security and Department of Defense initiative.
The Trump administration has framed these interdictions as necessary to enforce international sanctions and to deprive illicit actors — including sanctioned regimes and networks — of revenue. While details of broader policy goals remain limited from U.S. government channels, officials have hinted at plans to redirect seized oil revenues toward reconstruction and investment in the Venezuelan oil sector.
The increasingly aggressive posture has drawn scrutiny from legal experts and international observers. Some analysts question the legal grounding for boarding foreign-flagged vessels on the high seas solely for sanctions violations, noting that under international maritime law, boarding is typically permissible only if a vessel is stateless or has violated domestic law. The fact that several of the targeted tankers, including the Olina, were operating under dubious or false flags may factor into how U.S. authorities justify the actions.
International responses have been mixed. While some U.S. allies have expressed support for sanctions enforcement, others — including Russia — have condemned recent boardings as potential breaches of maritime law and maritime norms. Geopolitical tensions over the seizures could escalate if other nations challenge the legality of the blockade or retaliate diplomatically.
As U.S. forces continue their naval operations in the Caribbean, analysts predict additional interdictions of vessels suspected of carrying embargoed Venezuelan oil. The escalating campaign underscores the degree to which maritime enforcement has become central to U.S. strategy on sanctions, oil markets, and Latin American geopolitics.
