US Forces Intercept Fugitive Tanker Ship in Indian Ocean

American forces operating in the Indian Ocean have intercepted the Bertha oil tanker, marking another successful enforcement action in the global crackdown on sanctioned vessels, the Department of War announced Tuesday.

The operation comes amid heightened maritime enforcement following President Donald Trump’s mid-December declaration of a blockade against all sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuelan waters. This naval quarantine was implemented as part of Washington’s strategy to intensify pressure on then-Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, who has since been removed from power.

“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 Department of War stated in a social media announcement. “The vessel was operating in defiance of President Trump’s established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean and attempted to evade.”

According to reporting by the New York Times, the Bertha had departed from Venezuela’s main oil port in early January, shortly after the U.S. military operation that led to Maduro’s capture. The tanker appears to have traveled thousands of miles in an attempt to escape enforcement actions.

During the interdiction, U.S. forces also captured three smaller boats that authorities say attempted to flee the scene. The Department emphasized the global reach of American maritime enforcement, stating, “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.”

This interception represents the second major enforcement action in recent days. On February 15, U.S. forces intercepted another vessel, the Veronica III, also in the Indo-Pacific region. That vessel, a large crude oil carrier built in 2006 and flying under a Panamanian flag, has been linked to the transport of hundreds of thousands of metric tons of sanctioned Iranian oil, according to officials.

The Veronica III is listed on the U.S. Treasury Department’s Specially Designated Nationals sanctions list and is reportedly affiliated with a Chinese ship-management company that has also faced U.S. sanctions.

These interdictions demonstrate the expanding scope of U.S. maritime enforcement operations targeting the global network of vessels attempting to circumvent international sanctions. Energy analysts note that such operations have significant implications for global oil markets, as sanctioned oil from countries like Venezuela and Iran has been moving through increasingly complex networks of vessels and companies attempting to obscure their origins and destinations.

The Department of War’s statement emphasized the message these operations are intended to send: “International waters are not a refuge for sanctioned actors. By land, air, or sea, our forces will find you and deliver justice. The Department of War will deny illicit actors and their proxies freedom of maneuver in the maritime domain.”

The maritime enforcement actions come at a time when global attention has been focused on securing shipping lanes, particularly following increased tensions in the Red Sea and Persian Gulf. Sanctions enforcement has become a key component of U.S. foreign policy, targeting not only specific governments but also the financial and transportation networks that support them.

Energy security experts suggest these high-profile interdictions will likely have ripple effects throughout the shadow fleet of tankers that transport sanctioned oil around the world, potentially disrupting established smuggling routes and forcing operators to seek even riskier alternatives to avoid detection and capture.

The Department of War has not yet released specific details about the crew of the Bertha or the contents of its cargo, though further information is expected as the investigation proceeds.