American forces boarded and seized an oil tanker in the southern Caribbean Sea today, the Department of Homeland Security said.
A Coast Guard tactical team boarded the oil tanker M/T Centuries after it departed from Venezuela, inserting via helicopter. The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement on X that the Coast Guard, with support from the Department of Defense, “executed a lightning strike operation to seize” the tanker.
“The United States will continue to pursue the illicit movement of sanctioned oil that is used to fund narco terrorism in the region. We will find you, and we will stop you,“ Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote on X, sharing video of the helicopter landing.
It’s not clear what other U.S. forces joined the effort. U.S. Southern Command directed questions to the White House, which did not immediately respond. The United States has a large force in the Caribbean region as part of Operation Southern Spear, the ongoing campaign targeting “narco-terrorists.” That includes a carrier strike group, multiple Navy destroyers, fighter jets, drones and gunships. U.S. forces have carried out nearly two dozen airstrikes on alleged drug vessels since Sept. 2, killing more than 100 people so far.
The M/T Centuries was flying under a Panamanian flag. The BBC reports it has sailed under Greek and Liberian flags in years prior.
In a statement on X, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that “the blockade of sanctioned oil tankers departing from, or bound for, Venezuela will remain in full force until Maduro’s criminal enterprise returns every stolen American asset,” referring to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The Trump administration has accused Venezuela of using “stolen” oil to fund criminal actions.
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On Tuesday, Trump declared a “total and complete blockade” of sanctioned oil tankers leaving or arriving in Venezuela. According to Reuters and the BBC, the Centuries is not on any U.S. list of sanctioned ships. In its statement, the Department of Homeland Security said that the vessel is “suspected of carrying oil subject to U.S. sanctions.”
Since the buildup of American forces in the Caribbean started in August, the Trump administration has increased tensions with Venezuela and the Maduro regime. The U.S. accuses Maduro and his government of being directly involved in drug trafficking groups, including ones that the United States has designated foreign terrorist organizations.
Today’s incident is the second time this month that the Coast Guard and Department of Defense forces boarded and seized an oil tanker. On Dec. 10, the Coast Guard captured the tanker Skipper near the Venezuelan coast. That ship is accused of being part of a “ghost fleet” of tankers used to secretly move Venezuelan oil.
