The U.S. military has successfully boarded a tanker ship that defied President Donald Trump‘s maritime quarantine, tracking the vessel across multiple oceans in a dramatic demonstration of American naval power.
On Monday (February 9), the Department of War announced that U.S. forces conducted “a right-of-visit, maritime interdiction and boarding” of the Aquila II tanker “without incident” in the Indo-Pacific Command area after pursuing it from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean.
“When the @DeptofWar says quarantine, we mean it. Nothing will stop DoW from defending our Homeland — even in oceans halfway around the world,” the department stated in a post on X. The operation included dramatic footage showing troops descending by rope from hovering helicopters to board the vessel.
The Aquila II was reportedly carrying approximately 700,000 barrels of Venezuelan crude oil valued between $31.5 and $35 million when it was intercepted. The tanker had been previously sanctioned multiple times for transporting Russian oil and was allegedly operating under a Panamanian flag at the time of capture.
“The Aquila II was operating in defiance of President Trump’s established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean. It ran, and we followed,” the War Department explained. The vessel is believed to be part of Russia’s “dark fleet” of unregistered, illegally operated tankers that transport sanctioned oil to markets like China.
War Secretary Pete Hegseth reposted the department’s announcement, reinforcing the administration’s message about enforcing sanctions globally. The operation represents a significant escalation in the enforcement of the naval quarantine decreed by President Trump, particularly against vessels attempting to evade the blockade.
Energy experts have noted that maintaining a completely airtight maritime blockade is extremely challenging, but this operation demonstrates that “vessels that manage to initially escape are not beyond U.S. reach, even if they leave the Caribbean region,” according to CiberCuba.
The boarding comes after satellite images in January revealed that at least 11 oil tankers sanctioned by the U.S. had managed to evade the maritime blockade, collectively transporting around 9.4 million barrels of crude oil from Venezuelan waters.
The Department of War concluded its statement with a clear warning to other vessels considering similar actions: “By land, air, or sea, our Armed Forces will find you and deliver justice. You will run out of fuel long before you will outrun us.”
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