U.S. seizes oil tanker Sagitta in Caribbean amid Venezuela blockade

U.S. military forces seized an oil tanker operating under sanctions linked to Venezuela in the Caribbean, the latest enforcement action under a U.S. blockade targeting sanctioned oil shipments.

The seizure occurred Tuesday morning, according to United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), which said U.S. forces acting in support of the Department of Homeland Security apprehended the Motor Vessel Sagitta without incident.

SOUTHCOM said the tanker was operating in defiance of a quarantine ordered by U.S. President Trump, aimed at sanctioned vessels moving oil to and from Venezuela.

The command said the operation was carried out by joint U.S. forces deployed in the Caribbean and that only oil coordinated “properly and lawfully” would be allowed to leave Venezuela.

The Sagitta seizure marks the seventh tanker taken by the United States since the blockade was enacted on December 17. It is also the fourth seizure since the U.S. operation in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of Nicolás Maduro and his wife.

The previous tanker seizure occurred last Thursday, when U.S. forces apprehended the crude oil tanker Veronica in the Caribbean. The vessel was sailing under the flag of Guyana, and the International Maritime Organization’s database showed it had previously been registered in Russia under different names.

Through #OpSouthernSpear, the @DeptofWar is unwavering in its mission to crush illicit activity in the Western Hemisphere in partnership with @USCG, @DHSgov and @TheJusticeDept.

This morning, U.S. military forces, in support of the Department of Homeland Security, apprehended… pic.twitter.com/UPADtiw681

— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) January 20, 2026