US Boards Oil Tanker that Departed Venezuela

by | Feb 9, 2026

US Boards Oil Tanker that Departed Venezuela

by | Feb 9, 2026

screenshot 2026 02 09 123932

US forces boarded and quarantined an oil tanker in the Indian Ocean.

“Overnight, U.S. military forces conducted a right-of-visit, maritime interdiction and boarding on the Aquila II without incident in the INDOPACOM area of responsibility,” the Department of War posted on X. “The Aquila II was operating in defiance of President Trump’s established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean. It ran, and we followed.”

President Donald Trump ordered a total blockade of Venezuelan oil last year. Even after US forces captured President Nicolas Maduro, American soldiers have continued to seize tankers carrying Venezuelan oil.

Aquila II departed Venezuela a month ago, and was tracked by the Pentagon. The Department of War tracked and hunted this vessel from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean,” the statement explained.

“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.” It continued, “You will run out of fuel long before you will outrun us.”

The US has seized several tankers in the Caribbean and a Russian-flagged vessel in the northern Atlantic Ocean.

Kyle Anzalone

Kyle Anzalone

Kyle Anzalone is news editor of the Libertarian Institute, opinion editor of Antiwar.com and co-host of Conflicts of Interest with Will Porter and Connor Freeman.

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