The United States seized a sixth oil tanker tied to Venezuela early Thursday, underscoring the Trump administration’s escalating effort to enforce sanctions and crack down on illicit shipments linked to the Maduro regime. The seizure came just hours before President Donald Trump was scheduled to meet at the White House with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado.
According to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, the U.S. Coast Guard’s tactical team boarded and seized the tanker Veronica in the Caribbean. Noem said the vessel was part of a so-called “ghost fleet” operating in open defiance of President Trump’s quarantine on sanctioned vessels traveling to and from Venezuela.
“Through close coordination with our colleagues in the Departments of War, State, and Justice, our heroic Coast Guard men and women once again ensured a flawlessly executed operation, in accordance with international law,” Noem said Thursday morning in a post on X.
The operation involved a significant U.S. military presence. Sailors and Marines launched from the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, with additional support from the USS Iwo Jima, USS San Antonio, and USS Fort Lauderdale, according to U.S. Southern Command. The coordinated action highlighted the administration’s willingness to bring substantial force to bear in enforcing sanctions and protecting U.S. interests in the Western Hemisphere.
Southcom made clear that the message to Caracas was unmistakable. “The only oil leaving Venezuela will be oil that is coordinated properly and lawfully,” the command said in a statement. “The Department of War, in coordination with interagency partners, will defend our homeland by ending illicit activity and restoring security in the Western Hemisphere.”
Thursday’s seizure follows a series of recent interdictions targeting Venezuelan oil shipments. Just last week, U.S. personnel seized the tanker Bella-1 in the North Atlantic, an action that drew criticism from Russia. Around the same time, the oil ship Sophia was seized in the Caribbean, further tightening the net around vessels accused of helping Venezuela evade sanctions.
The stepped-up enforcement comes as President Trump continues to apply pressure on Venezuela’s leadership while engaging with figures aligned against the former Maduro regime. Trump is set to meet Thursday with Machado, a Nobel Peace Prize winner and prominent opposition leader, signaling continued U.S. backing for Venezuela’s opposition movement.
The president also spoke Wednesday with Venezuelan acting President Delcy Rodríguez, praising her efforts to cooperate with the United States. The back-to-back diplomatic engagement and military action illustrate the administration’s two-track approach: encouraging cooperation from Venezuelan leadership while aggressively enforcing sanctions against those who flout U.S. and international law.
With six tankers now seized, the Trump administration has made clear it intends to choke off illegal oil exports that provide revenue to sanctioned actors. The latest operation sends a pointed signal that attempts to skirt U.S. restrictions will be met with swift and decisive action, backed by the full reach of American military and law enforcement power.
