The United States has boarded and seized the motor tanker Olina in the Caribbean, marking the fifth tanker interdicted in recent weeks as part of what officials have begun describing as a coordinated campaign targeting Venezuelan oil shipments and associated sanctions-evasion networks.
On January 9, 2026, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the US Coast Guard executed a pre-dawn boarding and seizure of the Olina “in international waters east of the Caribbean Sea,” describing the vessel as a stateless “ghost fleet” tanker attempting to move embargoed oil after departing Venezuela.
The operation was carried out in coordination with the Department of War, the State Department and the Department of Justice.
Carrier-launched forces and helicopter insertion
US Southern Command said the boarding was conducted by Joint Task Force Southern Spear, with Marines and Sailors launching from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford. The command added that the interdiction was backed by an Amphibious Ready Group comprising USS Iwo Jima, USS San Antonio, and USS Fort Lauderdale.
A video released by Southern Command shows what appears to be an MH-60R Seahawkhovering over the Olina during the boarding.
Once again, our joint interagency forces sent a clear message this morning: “there is no safe haven for criminals.”
In a pre-dawn action, Marines and Sailors from Joint Task Force Southern Spear, in support of the Department of Homeland Security, launched from the USS Gerald R.… pic.twitter.com/StHo4ufcdx
— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) January 9, 2026
Following the operation, the Coast Guard began escorting the Olina toward the United States for disposition.
Earlier interdictions: Skipper, Centuries, Bella 1 and Sophia
The Olina operation follows a series of recent tanker boardings that US authorities are framing as part of an escalating campaign.
In December 2025, US forces seized the tankers Skipper and Centuries off the Venezuelan coast, both linked to crude shipments from the country. Skipper was taken in early December and Centuries was interdicted later that month as the Trump administration began enforcing its maritime blockade around Venezuela.
On January 7, 2026, the US European Command confirmed the seizure of the Bella 1 in the North Atlantic under a federal court warrant for sanctions violations. The tanker, previously linked to Iranian crude and later reflagged to Russia, was tracked by the Coast Guard cutter USCGC Munro before the seizure.
Around the same period, Southern Command announced the boarding of another tanker, Sophia, in the Caribbean Sea. That vessel was described as a sanctioned “dark fleet” motor tanker operating in international waters and was also taken without incident.
“The ghost fleets will not outrun justice. They will not hide under false claims of nationality,” Noem said, adding that the Coast Guard will “seize sanctioned oil tankers” and “eliminate these funding streams for illicit activity.”
Southern Command similarly said there is now “no safe haven for criminals” and highlighted the role of naval forces in “restoring security in the Western Hemisphere.”
