US Marines and Navy sailors boarded and seized an oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea early Friday, the fifth such interdiction in recent weeks as the Trump administration tightens its grip on Venezuelan oil exports following the capture of former President Nicolás Maduro.
US Southern Command announced that forces from Joint Task Force Southern Spear launched from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford to apprehend the Motor/Tanker Olina in a pre-dawn operation conducted without incident.
“Once again, our joint interagency forces sent a clear message this morning: ‘there is no safe haven for criminals,'” Southern Command wrote on X, releasing footage showing a helicopter touching down on the ship and personnel searching the deck.
Once again, our joint interagency forces sent a clear message this morning: “there is no safe haven for criminals.”
In a pre-dawn action, Marines and Sailors from Joint Task Force Southern Spear, in support of the Department of Homeland Security, launched from the USS Gerald R.… pic.twitter.com/StHo4ufcdx
— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) January 9, 2026
The command said the operation was conducted in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security and backed by the Navy’s Amphibious Ready Group, including the USS Iwo Jima, USS San Antonio and USS Fort Lauderdale.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said the Olina was seized in international waters as it attempted to evade US forces after departing Venezuela.
“As another ‘ghost fleet’ tanker ship suspected of carrying embargoed oil, this vessel had departed Venezuela attempting to evade US forces,” Noem wrote on X. “The ghost fleets will not outrun justice.”
Vessel History and False Flag
The Olina was falsely flying the flag of Timor-Leste, according to shipping database Equasis and maritime data firm Lloyd’s List Intelligence. The vessel is listed in international shipping registries as having an invalid registration.
US government records show the tanker was previously sanctioned for transporting Russian oil under its former name, Minerva M, when it was flagged in Panama, the Associated Press reported. The ship’s registered owner and manager was changed to a Hong Kong company in July.
British maritime risk management company Vanguard told Reuters the tanker had not transmitted its position for 52 days, with its last signal coming from the Venezuelan exclusive economic zone northeast of Curaçao. Vanguard said the seizure ‘follows a prolonged pursuit of tankers linked to sanctioned Venezuelan oil shipments in the region.’
An industry source also told Reuters the tanker departed Venezuela with a full cargo of oil days after Maduro’s January 3 capture, traveling as part of a group of vessels.
The tanker has a cargo capacity of up to 890,000 barrels of oil, worth approximately $53 million at current market prices of around $60 per barrel.
President Trump said on Truth Social that the tanker had departed Venezuela “without our approval” and is now being returned to the South American country.
“The oil will be sold through the GREAT Energy Deal, which we have created for such sales,” Trump wrote.
The interdiction comes days after US forces seized another tanker, the Bella-1, that claimed Russian protection and was reportedly escorted by Russian Navy vessels before a weekslong chase across the Atlantic.
