US announces capture of another oil tanker in Caribbean Sea, the last of the 'ghost fleet'
According to the official statement, in a pre-dawn operation, Marines and sailors from Joint Task Force Southern Spear, in support of the Department of Homeland Security, sailed from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and apprehended the Veronica without incident.
Footage shared by U.S. Southern Command of the seizure of the Veronica.
The War Department reported this Thursday that, through Operation South Spear, they are maintaining the mission to combat and dismantle illicit activity in the Western Hemisphere. As a result, they have seized another of the oil tankers trafficking fuel from Venezuela.
According to the official statement, in a pre-dawn operation, Marines and sailors from Joint Task Force Southern Spear, in support of the Department of Homeland Security, sailed from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and detained the tanker Veronica without incident.
Officials said the Veronica is the latest tanker to operate in defiance of the quarantine imposed by President Donald Trump on sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean, which the War Department said again demonstrates the effectiveness of Operation Southern Spear.
">Through #OpSouthernSpear, the Department of War is unwavering in its mission to crush illicit activity in the Western Hemisphere in partnership with @USCG through @DHSgov and @TheJusticeDept.
— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) January 15, 2026
In another pre-dawn action, Marines and Sailors from Joint Task Force Southern Spear,… pic.twitter.com/brxO9xXUu3
A video posted on social media shows soldiers rappelling down onto the deck of a vessel.
"As we’ve now demonstrated through multiple boardings, there is no outrunning or escaping American justice — period," Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote on her X profile as she shared footage of the tanker seizure.
The operations are fully supported by the U.S. Navy's Amphibious Readiness Group, which includes the USS Iwo Jima, USS San Antonio and USS Fort Lauderdale. Also involved are the U.S. Coast Guard, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice.
The communiqué stresses that the only oil that will leave Venezuela will be that which is properly and legally coordinated.
Finally, the War Department affirmed that, in coordination with interagency partners, it will continue to defend the homeland by ending illicit activity and restoring security in the Western Hemisphere.
Coordination with Caracas and oil agreements
In the following days, Trump also announced that U.S. oil companies were willing to invest $100 billion USD in the exploitation of Venezuelan reserves. It was also shared that the Trump Administration completed the first sale of Venezuelan oil for $500 million USD.
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