The War Department announced Tuesday that U.S. forces have detained another sanctioned tanker ship in the Caribbean as part of their mission to suppress illegal activity in the Western Hemisphere.
US Southern Command confirmed that the motor vessel Sagitta was apprehended earlier in the day without incident.
Video showed the ship sailing through the ocean with people on board the ship.
US officials released new images of a Venezuelan oil tanker seized in the Caribbean on Tuesday. (Southcom via X)
“The apprehension of a new tanker operating in defiance of President Trump’s quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean demonstrates our determination to ensure that the only oil leaving Venezuela will be oil that is properly and lawfully coordinated,” officials wrote in a statement on social media.
“As the joint force operates in the Western Hemisphere, we reaffirm that the security of the American people is of paramount importance, demonstrating our commitment to security and stability.”
The Venezuelan oil tanker was seized by US forces on Tuesday, officials said. (Southcom via X)
The arrest was part of #OpSouthernSpear, in collaboration with the U.S. Coast Guard, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice.
The US has now seized seven oil tankers since stepping up its campaign against Venezuela’s illegal oil trade.
The U.S. military seized another fugitive oil tanker linked to Venezuela in the Caribbean on Jan. 15, according to the U.S. Southern Command. (US Southern Command)
The intercepted ships are under US sanctions or are part of a “shadow fleet” of unregulated vessels that disguise their origins to transport oil from major sanctioned producers, including Iran, Russia and Venezuela.
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Officials previously said the only oil leaving Venezuela will be oil that has been properly and legally coordinated.
