Overview
- U.S. Southern Command said forces apprehended the Motor Vessel Sagitta without incident and released unclassified aerial footage of the ship.
- Officials describe Sagitta as a sanctioned vessel tied to Hong Kong-based Sunne Co. Limited and part of a shadow fleet used to move restricted crude.
- The action is the seventh seizure since Dec. 10 under the quarantine on sanctioned shipping, part of a broader interdiction campaign that has included a North Atlantic capture.
- U.S. authorities have begun selling confiscated oil, with a first sale of roughly $500 million reported last week, and President Trump says tens of millions of barrels have been taken for sale.
- The maritime crackdown follows the Jan. 3 capture of Nicolás Maduro as the administration seeks control over Venezuela’s oil flows, a strategy that has prompted legal debate reported by multiple outlets.