US forces interdict another fugitive tanker ship in Indian Ocean

American forces operating successful the Indian Ocean intercepted different fugitive tanker ship, the Department of War announced Tuesday. 

The improvement comes aft President Donald Trump announced a blockade of each sanctioned lipid tankers going successful and retired of Venezuela successful mid-December, arsenic Washington accrued its naval beingness successful the Caribbean to enactment unit connected now-former Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro. 

The vessel progressive successful Tuesday’s interdiction — the Bertha — was flagged by the New York Times arsenic leaving Venezuela’s main lipid larboard successful aboriginal January pursuing the U.S. subject cognition to seizure Maduro. 

"Overnight, U.S. forces conducted a right-of-visit, maritime interdiction and boarding of the Bertha without incidental successful the INDOPACOM country of responsibility," the Department of War said connected X. "The vas was operating in defiance of President Trump’s established quarantine of sanctioned vessels successful the Caribbean and attempted to evade." 

The Department of War announced connected Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, that U.S. forces intercepted the Bertha lipid tanker. (Department of War)

"From the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean, we tracked it and stopped it. No different federation has the planetary reach, endurance, or will to enforce sanctions astatine this distance," it added. 

The Department of War said 3 boats that tried to fly the country were captured. 

"International waters are not a refuge for sanctioned actors. By land, air, oregon sea, our forces volition find you and present justice," it besides said. "The Department of War volition contradict illicit actors and their proxies freedom of maneuver successful the maritime domain."

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The Department of War said the interdiction of the Bertha unfolded successful the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command country of responsibility. (Department of War)

U.S. forces antecedently intercepted the Veronica III lipid tanker connected Feb. 15 successful the Indo-Pacific. 

According to OpenSanctions, the Veronica III is listed connected the U.S. Treasury Department’s Specially Designated Nationals sanctions list.

The Department of War said pursuing the interdiction of the Bertha that, "International waters are not a refuge for sanctioned actors." (Department of War)

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That tanker, a ample crude lipid bearer built successful 2006 and flagged successful Panama, has been linked to the transport of hundreds of thousands of metric tons of sanctioned Iranian lipid and is affiliated with a Chinese ship-management institution that has besides been sanctioned. 

Fox News Digital’s Ashley Carnahan contributed to this report. 

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