Shadowy Special Operations Ship Spotted off Venezuela
The U.S. military is building up a growing force of naval and aviation assets within striking distance of Venezuela, prompting speculation about the administration's plans - and its current activities. It is already carrying out drone strikes on drug-running boats linked to Venezuelan smuggling groups, and a rare vessel sighting in the region suggests that more gray-zone kinetic operations may be in the works.
The vessel in question is an open secret. U.S. Military Sealift Command operates an 11,000 dwt cargo ship called Ocean Trader, which began life as a European ro/ro ferry. The RFP for its procurement included requirements fitting a special operations sea base: landing capacity for heavy helicopters, accommodations for 160 supernumeraries for 45 days, underway replenishment capability, an onboard SCIF, machine gun mounts, and launch and recovery capacity for jet skis and RIBs. After 12 years in Navy service, this modified merchant ship still wears its original white livery, but is never spotted working cargo, never inspected by port state control officials and never broadcasts its position on AIS (since 2017). Previous in-person sightings suggest that Ocean Trader's name and flag state are not marked on her stern, and her IMO number is displayed in unusually small text.
On Sunday, open-source researcher MT Anderson spotted Ocean Trader's characteristic hull shape, size and color in satellite imaging of an area southwest of St. Kitts. The last sighting of the vessel was off Bahrain in May 2025, suggesting that Ocean Trader got under way for Venezuela well in advance of current developments.
????????????Is a secretive US special ops 'mothership' operating in the Caribbean?
— MT Anderson (@MT_Anderson) September 21, 2025
New satellite imagery raises questions.
Analysis of Sentinel 2 imagery from September 20, 2025, shows a vessel with a highly unique fore and aft superstructure almost identical to the MV Ocean Trader, a… pic.twitter.com/Rr1rgKZu1G
Other analysts have confirmed that the appearance of the ship in MT Anderson's satellite imaging conforms closely to previous known images of Ocean Trader.
The Ocean Trader is usually spotted near hot spots for special operations activity, like Somalia. Her presence off Venezuela raises questions about her current mission set, as well as any future plans for her use. The vessel is the stealthiest element of a growing armada in the area, to include the destroyers USS Stockdale, USS Sampson and USS Jason Dunham; cruiser USS Lake Erie; LCS USS Minneapolis-St. Paul; the amphibs USS Iwo Jima, USS Fort Lauderdale, and USS San Antonio; and attack sub USS Newport News.
The administration has been ratcheting up pressure on the government of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, and the accumulation of military capabilities in the Caribbean is perceived by many analysts as a signaling exercise - not a preparation for an invasion, which would require far more troops.
The buildup is "a clear signal to Nicolas Maduro that this administration is growing serious about accomplishing either regime or behavioral change from Caracas," Adm. James G. Stavridis, former chief of US Southern Command, told the New York Times. "Gunboat diplomacy is back, and it may well work."