U.S. forces seized a sixth tanker Thursday in an early morning operation, according to U.S. Southern Command.
The tanker was seized as part of a quarantine applied to sanctioned tankers entering and leaving Venezuela.
“In another pre-dawn action, Marines and sailors from Joint Task Force Southern Spear, in support of the Department of Homeland Security, conducted a launch from the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) and apprehended the motor/tanker Veronica without incident,” U.S. Southern Command said in an article on X.
“The Veronica is the latest tanker to operate in defiance of President Trump’s quarantine for sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean, once again proving the effectiveness of Operation Southern Spear,” he said.
“The only oil that will leave Venezuela will be the one that is properly and legally coordinated,” he adds.
Newsmax and Reuters were the first to report the seizure, which comes as President Trump prepares to do so. meet with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado on Thursday at the White House.
Last week, the United States seized three oil tankers with connections to Venezuela, including the Marine. This tanker, formerly known as Bella-1, was sailing under the Russian flag and was seized in the North Atlantic. The Olina and the Sophia were seized in the Caribbean.
Ships like the Marinera are part of a so-called ghost fleet of ships that illegally transport oil from sanctioned countries like Russia, Iran and Venezuela.
The latest seizures come after the United States captured former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife in a surprise overnight operation.
