US forces have seized an oil tanker in the Indian Ocean. It would be part of Russia's Phantom Fleet
The Pentagon announced Monday that US military forces boarded an oil tanker in the Indian Ocean after tracking it from the Caribbean Sea, reports AP.
The Pentagon has not said whether the ship, which was not carrying crude oil, is connected to Venezuela, which is under a blockade on exports of sanctioned oil.
“The Aquila II was operating in defiance of President Trump's quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean. She fled and we pursued her,” the Pentagon statement said.
The Aquila II was among 16 tankers that left Venezuela's coast in January following the capture of former President Nicolás Maduro in a US operation in Caracas, said Samir Madani, co-founder of TankerTrackers.com, a company that documented the vessel's route.
The Aquila II, owned by a Hong Kong-based company, flies the Panamanian flag and is subject to US sanctions for illegally transporting oil. The ship sailed for several months with its radio transponder disabled to conceal its location.
The US has so far seized seven other sanctioned oil tankers linked to Venezuela, and the Trump administration has seized control of Venezuela's global oil production, refining and distribution, a move billed as aimed at reviving the economy and repairing poor infrastructure.
US Southern Command, which is responsible for Latin America, emailed that it had nothing to add to the Pentagon's post that the US military had conducted a “maritime interdiction and right of access” operation aboard the ship.
Oil tanker linked to Russian oil exports
The War&Sanctions portal, linked to Ukraine's military intelligence services, identifies the Aquila II as an oil tanker involved in the export of sanctioned Russian oil and petroleum products from ports in the Black Sea, Baltic Sea and Pacific region, often using deceptive shipping practices.
The tanker is linked to Sunne Co Limited, a company sanctioned by the United States on January 10, 2025, for operating in Russia's energy sector. On the same date, the US directly imposed sanctions on the Aquila II, considering it a company-related asset.
According to international shipping databases cited by War&Sanctions, the ship's flag status is officially listed as unknown, although it operated under the Panamanian flag.
In January 2026, the tanker was among at least 16 ships that left Venezuelan ports, violating the US maritime blockade imposed by the US as part of Operation Southern Spear, according to Ukrainian intelligence services. At the time, the vessel reportedly operated under the name Cape Balder and was suspected of carrying crude oil or fuel oil from Venezuela.
On January 7, US forces intercepted the Russian-flagged Marinera, which was under sanctions, after it evaded the US blockade of Venezuelan oil for more than two weeks and was tracked in the Atlantic Ocean.
