U.S. Military Intercepts Sanctioned Oil Tanker in the Indian Ocean: Crackdown on Illicit Oil Trade Linked to Venezuela
U.S. military forces have intercepted a third sanctioned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean, following its tracking from the Caribbean Sea to target illicit oil linked to Venezuela. The operation involved boarding the Bertha vessel overnight, conducting a maritime interdiction and boarding to enforce President Trump's quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean. The tanker attempted to evade detection but was tracked and stopped by U.S. forces.
Venezuela has been under U.S. sanctions on its oil, leading to the use of falsely flagged tankers to smuggle crude into global supply chains. President Trump's quarantine of sanctioned tankers in December aimed to pressure Venezuela's then-President Nicolás Maduro, who was later apprehended in January during a military operation. The Bertha, flagged to the Cook Islands, is under U.S. sanctions related to Iran, as per the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control.
Video footage released by the Pentagon shows U.S. military helicopters approaching the tanker as part of the interception operation. The Trump administration has been seizing tankers as part of its strategy to gain control over Venezuela's oil resources. The Pentagon's statement did not confirm whether the Bertha was formally seized and placed under U.S. control.
Maduro, who was extradited to the U.S., is facing charges of collaborating with drug cartels to facilitate the trafficking of large quantities of cocaine into the country. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges. The interception of the Bertha marks another step in the U.S. efforts to enforce sanctions on Venezuela and combat illicit activities in the region.