Jan 15, 2026, 4:33 p.mJan 15, 2026, 4:33 p.m
US units have again taken control of an oil tanker in the Caribbean. Marines and sailors would have the before dawn Tanker “Veronica” seizedsaid the US military’s Southern Command (Southcom), which is responsible for the region, on the X platform.
US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem wrote on According to Southcom, the operation went “without incident”.
Early this morning, a Coast Guard tactical team conducted a pre-dawn boarding and seizure of Motor Tanker Veronica in the Caribbean. As another sanctioned ghost fleet tanker, Motor Tanker Veronica had previously passed through Venezuelan waters, and was operating in defiance of… pic.twitter.com/MyWyQGH1h0
— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) January 15, 2026
The USA has already taken control of several tankers in recent weeks. Trump had previously announced a… “Complete and complete blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers traveling to and from Venezuela” to impose. His reasoning: The South American country had stolen oil, land and other assets from the USA – these had to be returned.
The US military’s Southern Command’s post about the latest seizure said:
“The only oil that leaves Venezuela will be oil that is properly and lawfully coordinated.”
Trump sees partnership with Venezuela’s leadership
It was only on Wednesday that Trump expressed satisfaction with Venezuela’s current leadership. Trump said he had a long phone conversation with Acting President Delcy Rodríguez and called her a great person. He wrote on Truth Social that the partnership between the US and Venezuela will be spectacular “FOR EVERYONE.”
The US government had already made it clear that it wanted to control the Venezuelan oil business and thereby also put pressure on the government in Caracas. The blockade of oil tankers is an “enormous lever” to bring about political changes in Venezuelasaid US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. At the beginning of January, the USA deposed and captured the authoritarian head of state Nicolás Maduro during a military operation in Caracas. (rbu/sda/dpa)