U.S. forces in the Caribbean Sea have seized another sanctioned oil tanker that the Trump administration says has ties to Venezuela, part of a broader U.S. effort to take control of the South American country’s oil.

The U.S. Coast Guard boarded the tanker, named Veronica, early Thursday (January 15, 2026), Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote on social media. The ship had previously passed through Venezuelan waters and was operating in defiance of President Donald Trump’s “established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean,” she said.

U.S. Southern Command said Marines and sailors launched from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford to take part in the operation alongside a Coast Guard tactical team, which Ms. Noem said conducted the boarding as in previous raids. The military said the ship was seized “without incident.”

Several U.S. government social media accounts posted brief videos that appeared to show various parts of the ship’s capture. Black-and-white footage showed at least four helicopters approaching the ship before hovering over the deck while armed troops dropped down by rope. At least nine people could be seen on the deck of the ship.

The Veronica is the sixth sanctioned tanker seized by U.S. forces as part of the effort by Mr. Trump’s administration to control the production, refining, and global distribution of Venezuela’s oil products and the fourth since the U.S. ouster of Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro in a surprise night-time raid almost two weeks ago.

The Veronica last transmitted its location on January 3, stating it was at anchor off the coast of Aruba, just north of Venezuela’s main oil terminal. According to the data it transmitted at the time, it was partially filled with crude.

The ship is currently listed as flying the flag of Guyana and is considered part of the shadow fleet that moves cargoes of oil in violation of U.S. sanctions.

According to its registration data, the ship has been known as the Galileo , owned and managed by a company in Russia. In addition, a tanker with the same registration number previously sailed under the name Pegas and was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department for moving cargoes of illicit Russian oil.

As with prior posts about such raids, Ms. Noem and the military framed the seizure as part of an effort to enforce the law. Ms. Noem argued that the multiple captures show that “there is no outrunning or escaping American justice.” Speaking to reporters at the White House later Thursday (January 16, 2026), Ms. Noem declined to say how many sanctioned oil tankers the U.S. is tracking or whether the government is keeping tabs on freighters beyond the Caribbean Sea.

“I can’t speak to the specifics of the operation, although we are watching the entire shadow fleet and how they’re moving,” she told reporters.

However, other officials in Mr. Trump’s Republican administration have made clear that they see the actions as a way to generate cash as they seek to rebuild Venezuela’s battered oil industry and restore its economy.

Mr. Trump met with executives from oil companies last week to discuss his goal of investing USD 100 billion in Venezuela to repair and upgrade its oil production and distribution. His administration has said it expects to sell at least 30 million to 50 million barrels of sanctioned Venezuelan oil.

Russia has deployed a submarine and other naval vessels to ‍escort an empty, ageing oil tanker that has been trying to evade the U.S. blockade near Venezuela, ‌the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday (January 6, 2026), citing a U.S. official.

The tanker, formerly known as Bella 1, has been evading interception since the U.S. Coast Guard attempted to board and seize it in December, following Washington’s blockade of sanctioned oil shipments to and from Venezuela.

Russia has asked the U.S. to stop pursuing the vessel, the Journal said, citing three ⁠other U.S. officials.

Reuters could not immediately verify the report. The White House and the U.S. Coast Guard did not immediately respond to a request for comment ⁠outside regular hours.

On Tuesday (January 6), the Russian Foreign Ministry said it was monitoring the situation surrounding the tanker “with concern”, the Journal said, citing Russian State news agency ‌RIA.

The U.S. Southern Command, which oversees military activities in ‌Latin America and the Caribbean, said in a post on X on Tuesday (January 6) that ‍it “remains ready to support U.S. Government agency partners in standing against sanctioned vessels and actors transiting through this region.” ‍It did not mention the Journal report or the Russian submarine.

The U.S. Coast Guard has continued to trail the ship into the Eastern Atlantic, where it is now sailing about 300 miles south of Iceland toward the North Sea, the Journal added, citing AIS positioning.

The tanker changed its name to the Marinera and switched ⁠its registration to Russia, the Journal said.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday (January 6) unveiled a plan to refine and sell up to 50 million barrels of ⁠Venezuelan oil that had been stuck in Venezuela under U.S. blockade, in a further sign that Washington is coordinating with the Venezuelan government since capturing President Nicolas Maduro in a raid last weekend.