Trump’s Venezuela Tanker Crackdown Goes Global With Indian Ocean Interdiction

U.S. forces boarded the crude tanker Aquila II in the Indian Ocean after tracking it from the Caribbean, the Department of War disclosed on X early Monday. Officials accuse the vessel of violating Washington’s quarantine on sanctioned tankers moving to or from Venezuela.

“When the @DeptofWar says quarantine, we mean it. Nothing will stop DoW from defending our Homeland — even in oceans halfway around the world,” DoW wrote on X.

DoW said U.S. forces boarded the tanker Aquila II in the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) area. It claims Aquila II was evading President Trump’s quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean area.

pic.twitter.com/sh8J61RC8Y

— Department of War 🇺🇸 (@DeptofWar) February 9, 2026

“The Department of War tracked and hunted this vessel from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean. No other nation on planet Earth has the capability to enforce its will through any domain. By land, air, or sea, our Armed Forces will find you and deliver justice. You will run out of fuel long before you will outrun us,” DoW emphasized on X.

When the @DeptofWar says quarantine, we mean it. Nothing will stop DoW from defending our Homeland — even in oceans halfway around the world.

Overnight, U.S. military forces conducted a right-of-visit, maritime interdiction and boarding on the Aquila II without incident in the… pic.twitter.com/kYVAQC5io9

— Department of War 🇺🇸 (@DeptofWar) February 9, 2026

Reuters reports the Aquila II departed Venezuela’s waters in early January carrying roughly 700,000 barrels of heavy crude bound for China. Shipping data did not clearly identify the vessel’s flag or registration.

The U.S. has seized or “apprehended” seven Venezuela-linked, sanctioned tankers under Trump’s quarantine enforcement effort, otherwise known as Gunboat Diplomacy, with most interdictions occurring in the Caribbean Sea.

One of the more daring interdictions occurred in the Atlantic Ocean, when U.S. forces seized a Russian-flagged shadow-fleet tanker in early January.

The latest Venezuela-linked seizure in the Indian Ocean suggests President Trump’s “Don Roe Doctrine” is intended to defend the Western Hemisphere even if that means chasing a sanctioned tanker halfway around the world.