U.S. forces seized the oil tanker Veronica in the Caribbean on Jan. 15, 2026, under sanctions targeting Venezuela’s oil exports.

U.S. forces seized the oil tanker Motor Tanker Veronica in the Caribbean on January 15, 2026, the sixth sanctioned vessel taken under President Trump’s campaign to restrict Venezuela’s oil exports. The ship, registered under Guyana and previously known as the Gallileo, was intercepted by Marines and Coast Guard personnel from the USS Gerald R. Ford for violating U.S. sanctions and operating near Venezuelan waters. The seizure, part of a broader strategy to enforce a maritime quarantine, follows the U.S. ouster of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a recent nighttime raid. Officials say the operation aims to curb illicit oil trade, while some administration figures have indicated plans to invest $100 billion in Venezuela’s oil sector and sell 30 to 50 million barrels of sanctioned oil to generate revenue.