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Video: US Seizes Notorious Shadow Tanker in Sixth Raid Linked to Venezuela

tanker seizure US forces
US forces seized the sixth tanker linked to Venezuela and this one is a notorious sanctioned tanker (US Homeland Security)

Published Jan 15, 2026 12:18 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

A U.S. Coast Guard team staged another pre-dawn action supported by the U.S. Marines and sailors to seize a notorious shadow fleet tanker. It is the sixth seizure conducted by the Trump administration as it continues to assert full control over Venezuela’s oil industry.

In videos released by the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Coast Guard, American troops are shown “fast roping” onto the deck of the tanker after launching from the carrier USS Gerald R. Ford. The operation was reportedly coordinated between the Department of Defense [War], Homeland Security, the State Department, and the Justice Department. U.S. Southern Command said the tanker, which they referred to by the name Veronica (IMO: 9256860), was seized without incident.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem asserted the tanker had “previously passed through Venezuelan waters,” and was in violation of Donald Trump’s “established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean.” Today’s videos appear to show an empty tanker riding high in the water.

 

 

It is actually the second time the U.S. in the past few years has tangled with this particular vessel. The 115,500 dwt tanker, which was built in 2007, has been operating as part of the shadow fleet since 2020, according to the tracking service TankerTrackers.com.

The vessel was stopped by Greek authorities in April 2020, believing it was a Russian-flagged tanker named Pegas violating the sanctions. The ship quickly declared it was actually registered in Iran as the Lana and was experiencing mechanical troubles. The U.S. moved to seize the crude oil cargo aboard the ship and had begun offloading it when a Greek court ultimately released the ship. Iran seized two Greek tankers in retaliation during this incident.

The U.S. sanctioned the tanker in February 2022 as part of the moves against Promsvyazbank and its leasing operation. The ship reappeared in 2024 under the name Veronica and displaying the flag of Guyana. As of the first of the year, jumped to the Russian flag and changed its name to Gallileo.

TankerTrackers.com reports the tanker was last seen in Venezuela on January 3. It writes that the tanker, “has directly exported Iranian oil 10 times, as well as received Iranian oil 5x via STS and Venezuelan 2x.” They conclude, “It’s likely Game Over for her this time.”

U.S. Southern Command asserted in its statement this morning, “The only oil leaving Venezuela will be oil that is coordinated properly and lawfully.”Kpler calculates that so far in January, Venezuela's oil exports have fallen by about half, and that the only oil exports are on tankers bound for the U.S. or being moved into Venezuelan refineries. The U.S. has said it will take the oil and sell it while large Venezuelan customers including China, appear to be cut off.

Today’s action was the fifth in the Caribbean region and the sixth overall with the seizure of the Bella 1 in European waters after the U.S. tracked the vessel for days. The U.S. Department of Justice was reported yesterday by Reuters to be seeking warrants to capture more tankers. Reports said it could be a dozen or more vessels with tracking services highlighting that multiple sanctioned and shadow fleet tankers have been holding in the Southern Caribbean. Several vessels were reported to have made a U-turn to Venezuela as the U.S. increased its crackdown on oil exports.