The Department of the Army announced on Sunday that U.S. military forces have seized a vessel in the Indo-Pacific region, which was trying to bypass a quarantine order from the Trump administration.
According to a statement, the Veronica III was operating in the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command area when it was boarded without any issues. The government report remarked, “This ship was attempting to flee in defiance of President Trump’s quarantine. We tracked it from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean, closed in, and stopped it. No other nation has the capability or resolve to do this.”
Additionally, it stated, “The high seas are not a sanctuary for illegal activities. By land, air, and sea, we will locate you and ensure justice.” The Department of the Army emphasized its commitment to restrict free movement in maritime areas for illegal actors and their representatives.
The Veronica III is the latest in a series of significant maritime seizures aimed at enforcing sanctions and limiting Venezuelan oil exports. In December, Trump announced a blockade against all sanctioned oil tankers connected to Venezuela, increasing naval presence in the Caribbean to apply further pressure on Nicolás Maduro, the former Venezuelan leader.
Public records indicate that the Veronica III is listed on the U.S. Treasury Department’s Specially Designated National Sanctions List. The tanker, which is Panamanian-flagged and was built in 2006, is implicated in transporting sanctioned Iranian oil and is linked to a Chinese ship management company, also under sanctions.
The ship is reported to have changed names and flags multiple times as part of attempts to evade sanctions and mask its activities at sea. In December 2024, the Treasury Department sanctioned the Veronica III along with 35 other entities involved in illicitly carrying Iranian oil to foreign markets.
