The US Navy and Coast Guard yanked a suspected “ghost fleet” tanker accused of carrying sanctioned Venezuelan oil out of the Caribbean in a daring pre-dawn raid Friday — sending a blunt message to smugglers and sanctioned regimes alike: you’ll be able to run, however you’ll be able to’t cover.
Marines and sailors with Joint Job Drive Southern Spear launched from the USS Gerald R. Ford early Friday and seized the motor tanker Olina with out incident, US Southern Command stated. The operation was carried out in assist of the Division of Homeland Safety.
“As soon as once more, our joint interagency forces despatched a transparent message this morning: there is no such thing as a protected haven for criminals,” the combatant command stated in a publish to X.
The takedown was backed by the total firepower of the Navy’s Amphibious Prepared Group — together with the USS Iwo Jima, USS San Antonio and USS Fort Lauderdale — underscoring Washington’s escalating crackdown on illicit maritime trafficking within the Western Hemisphere.
Homeland Safety Secretary Kristi Noem stated the Coast Guard boarded and seized the tanker in worldwide waters east of the Caribbean after it departed Venezuela and tried to evade US forces.
“The world’s criminals are on discover,” Noem stated in a publish to X.
Officers suspect Olina is a part of a shadowy “ghost fleet” used to maneuver embargoed oil beneath false flags and faux claims of nationality — earnings the Trump administration says bankroll illicit exercise together with narco-terrorism.
“The ghost fleets won’t outrun justice,” Noem warned. “They won’t cover beneath false claims of nationality.”
The seizure is a part of the Division of Battle’s Operation Southern Spear, an aggressive marketing campaign aimed toward choking off unlawful oil trafficking and restoring safety throughout the area.
“That is proudly owning the ocean,” Noem stated.
