U.S. military forces intercepted the oil tanker MT Bertha in the Indian Ocean overnight Monday, capping a weeks-long pursuit that began in the Caribbean, the Pentagon announced Tuesday, according to U.S. Naval Institute. The boarding marks the third tanker interdiction in the Indian Ocean as part of the Trump administration’s quarantine campaign targeting vessels tied to Venezuelan oil smuggling.
The Bertha flew a Cook Islands flag and was laden with roughly 1.9 million barrels of Merey heavy crude destined for China when U.S. forces intercepted it, according to Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA shipping data cited by Reuters. The Treasury Department sanctioned the vessel in January 2020 over its connection to Shanghai Legendary Ship Management Company Ltd, identifying it as part of Iran’s shadow fleet network.
Three boats ran and now all three have been captured.
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 Trump’s… pic.twitter.com/YoHlb9v54p
— Department of War 🇺🇸 (@DeptofWar) February 24, 2026
“From the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean, we tracked it and stopped it. No other nation has the global reach, endurance, or will to enforce sanctions at this distance,” the Pentagon stated. Accompanying video shows operators fast-roping from MH-60S helicopters onto the tanker’s deck. The aircraft appear to launch from a vessel with a large flight deck consistent with a Navy Expeditionary Sea Base.
The Bertha joins the Aquila II and Veronica III, completing the capture of all three tankers that fled Caribbean waters for the Indian Ocean. U.S. forces have now interdicted 10 tankers since December, Reuters reported, releasing at least two to Venezuela’s new government.
The tanker has operated under multiple aliases, including Martha S and EKTA, according to USNI. Lloyd’s Seasearcher data showed the vessel’s Cook Islands registration expired in October 2024. The U.S. and Cook Islands maintain a shiprider agreement authorizing American personnel to board vessels flying that flag.
