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U.S. Military Intercepts Oil Tanker After Global Chase
The U.S. military successfully intercepted an oil tanker, the Aquilla II, in the Indian Ocean after a pursuit that spanned from the Caribbean Sea, the Department of Defense announced Monday. The operation, described as a “right-of-visit, maritime interdiction,” was executed without incident within the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command area.
While the Pentagon did not explicitly confirm if the Aquilla II was seized, this action follows a series of similar interceptions. Since December 10, the Trump administration has seized seven other oil tankers linked to Venezuela as part of an ongoing pressure campaign against the nation’s socialist government.
In a strong statement posted on X, the Department of Defense emphasized its global reach and resolve. “No other nation on planet Earth has the capability to enforce its will through any domain.
By land, air, or sea, our Armed Forces will find you and deliver justice,” the post declared. “You will run out of fuel long before you will outrun us.”
The department reiterated its commitment to “deny illicit actors and their proxies the ability to defy American power in the global maritime domain.”
The interception comes amidst heightened tensions and a robust enforcement of sanctions and a blockade targeting blacklisted oil tankers connected to Caracas. This intensified campaign began after the U.S. military’s clandestine operation to capture Venezuela’s authoritarian leader, Nicolas Maduro, which reportedly led several tankers to scatter from the country.
Speaking at a shipyard in Bath, Maine, on Monday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reaffirmed the military’s unwavering commitment to apprehending these vessels, including the Aquilla II. “The only guidance I gave to my military commanders is none of those are getting away.
None of them,” Hegseth stated emphatically. “I don’t care if we got to go around the globe to get them.
We’re going to get them.”
According to TankerTrackers.com, the Aquilla II reportedly departed Venezuela on the morning Maduro was apprehended.