U.S. Coast Guard Seizes “Ghost Fleet” Tanker Veronica in Caribbean Operation
WASHINGTON – A U.S. Coast Guard tactical team seized the Motor Tanker Veronica in the Caribbean Sea early Thursday morning, January 15, 2026. The pre-dawn operation targeted what officials have identified as a “sanctioned ghost fleet tanker” operating in defiance of U.S. restrictions on maritime traffic involving Venezuela.
According to a statement from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, the vessel had previously transited through Venezuelan waters before being intercepted. The boarding was conducted by a Coast Guard tactical unit with operational support from U.S. Navy assets, including personnel launched from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford.
The seizure is part of an ongoing enforcement campaign by the U.S. government to intercept vessels suspected of transporting sanctioned Venezuelan oil. The administration has recently intensified patrols in the region to enforce a “quarantine” on specific maritime routes. Authorities classify the Veronica as part of a “ghost fleet”—a network of vessels that often disable tracking systems to obscure their movements and evade international sanctions.
Officials confirmed the operation was executed without reported injuries, and the vessel is currently being processed by U.S. authorities. This incident marks the sixth such tanker seizure in recent weeks as the U.S. increases pressure on illicit maritime trade in the Caribbean.
