US Forces Seize Third Sanctioned Oil Tanker In Indian Ocean

U.S. military forces have seized a sanctioned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean after tracking it from Caribbean waters, the United States Department of Defense said on Tuesday, adding that it was the third such interdiction in the region, according to a report by Reuters.

Since the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a military raid last month in Caracas, Washington has escalated its blockade on vessels under sanctions travelling to and from the South American country, a member of Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

In a post on X, the Pentagon said U.S. forces boarded the Bertha overnight.

It accused the crude oil tanker of attempting to defy Iran-related sanctions.

The Bertha, which flies under a Cook Islands flag, is linked to Shanghai Legendary Ship Management Company Limited and falls under sanctions imposed in January 2020, according to the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the United States Department of the Treasury.

The ship management company could not immediately be reached for comment.

The vessel’s last reported position on AIS ship-tracking systems was on February 24, sailing in the Indian Ocean off the Maldives, according to MarineTraffic data.

“Overnight, U.S. forces conducted a right-of-visit, maritime interdiction, and boarding of the Bertha without incident in the INDOPACOM area of responsibility. The vessel was operating in defiance of President Donald Trump’s established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean and attempted to evade,” the Pentagon said.

“From the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean, we tracked it and stopped it.

“Three boats ran and now all three have been captured,” it added, without providing further details.

The Bertha departed Venezuelan waters in early January as part of a flotilla that has now been almost entirely seized by U.S. forces. The ship was carrying about 1.9 million barrels of Merey heavy crude bound for China, according to shipping reports from Venezuelan state oil company Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA).

Earlier this month, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said American forces had boarded the Suezmax tanker Aquila II in the Indian Ocean. That action was followed by the seizure of the Veronica III.

The vessels seized in recent months have either been under U.S. sanctions or part of a “shadow fleet” of ships that disguise their origins to transport oil from heavily sanctioned producers, including Iran, Russia, and Venezuela.

U.S. forces have intercepted 10 tankers since December, including the latest seizure, and have released at least two of them back to the new Venezuelan government, according to Reuters’ analysis.

“International waters are not a refuge for sanctioned actors. By land, air, or sea, our forces will find you and deliver justice,” the Pentagon said.