U.S. military forces pursued and boarded a crude oil tanker halfway around the world after it attempted to evade an American blockade, underscoring the Trump administration’s aggressive enforcement of sanctions against Venezuela’s oil trade.
The Department of War announced Monday that American forces successfully tracked down and boarded the tanker Aquila II in the Indian Ocean after the vessel slipped past a U.S.-imposed quarantine in the Caribbean. The boarding was carried out without incident through what officials described as a lawful right-of-visit and maritime interdiction operation.
The seizure marks the latest action in a broader campaign that has already resulted in the capture of at least seven oil tankers linked to sanctioned Venezuelan crude exports. According to the department, the Aquila II deliberately violated President Donald Trump’s quarantine on sanctioned vessels and attempted to flee U.S. enforcement.
“When the Department of War says quarantine, we mean it,” the department wrote in a post on X. “Nothing will stop DoW from defending our Homeland — even in oceans halfway around the world.” The statement said the tanker was operating in defiance of Trump’s order and attempted to escape enforcement. “It ran, and we followed,” the department said, adding that U.S. forces tracked and pursued the vessel from the Caribbean all the way to the Indian Ocean.
Video released by the Department of War showed American troops rappelling from a helicopter onto the deck of the tanker, highlighting the reach and capability of U.S. military forces. Officials emphasized that the operation demonstrated America’s unmatched ability to enforce its policies across the globe.
“No other nation on planet Earth has the capability to enforce its will through any domain,” the department said. “By land, air, or sea, our Armed Forces will find you and deliver justice. You will run out of fuel long before you will outrun us.” The statement added that the Department of War will continue to deny illicit actors and their proxies the ability to defy American power in the global maritime domain.
According to reports, the Aquila II departed Venezuela in early January carrying approximately 700,000 barrels of heavy crude oil, openly defying the U.S. blockade. The tanker was reportedly bound for China when it was intercepted by American forces.
President Trump imposed a blockade on all sanctioned oil tanker vessels leaving Venezuela on December 16, a move aimed at cutting off revenue streams tied to the country’s sanctioned oil industry. Following the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, the Department of War and the U.S. Coast Guard have continued to aggressively enforce the embargo, seizing vessels that attempt to evade it.
The enforcement effort is far from over. Reuters reported in January that the Trump administration had sought warrants to seize dozens more tankers connected to the Venezuelan crude trade, signaling a sustained and expanding crackdown.
Trump has also said that American oil companies are expected to invest tens of billions of dollars to rebuild Venezuela’s oil fields. The United States has already sold roughly $500 million worth of Venezuelan oil and returned the proceeds to the country under the direction of the U.S. government.
The boarding of the Aquila II sends a clear message that attempts to defy American sanctions will not be tolerated, no matter how far vessels try to run.
