“Through Operation Southern Lance, the U.S. Department of Defense remains steadfast in its mission to disrupt illegal activities in the Western Hemisphere. […] “U.S. forces, with support from the Department of Homeland Security, detained the motor vessel Sagitta this morning without incident,” the tweet said.
The US military noted that the detained tanker was involved in violating US sanctions against ships that illegally try to export oil from Venezuela.
“United Forces [США] operating in the Western Hemisphere, we affirm that the security of the American people is of paramount importance, demonstrating our commitment to security and stability,” the Pentagon said.
According to vessel tracking service Vessel Finder, the tanker Sagitta is 243 meters long and flies under the flag of Panama.
According to information from the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, this ship belongs to the “shadow fleet” of the aggressor country Russia for transporting oil bypassing anti-Russian sanctions. The Main Intelligence Directorate noted that the tanker is under sanctions from the UK, USA, Canada, Switzerland, the European Union, Australia, New Zealand and Ukraine.
Among the unreliable data used by the ship are the name (Kathia) and flag (Guyana), Ukrainian intelligence indicates.
