Overview
- U.S. forces apprehended the tanker Olina near Trinidad in a pre-dawn operation, with Joint Task Force Southern Spear launching from the USS Gerald R. Ford to take the vessel without incident.
- Public databases showed Olina falsely flying a Timor‑Leste flag and sailing dark on AIS for weeks; the ship had been sanctioned previously as Minerva M and linked to a shadow fleet moving Venezuelan crude.
- The action follows this week’s seizure of the Marinera (formerly Bella 1) in the North Atlantic after a prolonged pursuit, an operation supported by the UK and monitored by nearby Russian naval assets with no confrontation reported.
- Moscow has condemned the seizures as unlawful under international maritime law and says two Russian crew members from the Marinera were released after its appeal, a claim the U.S. has not confirmed.
- U.S. officials say the interdictions enforce sanctions globally, with the Justice Department probing the Marinera’s crew for allegedly ignoring Coast Guard orders and additional tankers still under scrutiny.