US Seizes 7th Oil Tanker Linked to Venezuela
President Donald Trump gestures while he speaks in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
U.S. military forces on Tuesday boarded and took control of a seventh oil tanker linked to Venezuela, according to the Associated Press, as part of the Trump administration’s broader push to assert control over the South American nation’s oil trade. U.S. Southern Command said in a social media post that American forces seized the Motor Vessel Sagitta “without incident,” alleging the tanker was operating in violation of President Trump’s established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean.
Southern Command did not specify whether the U.S. Coast Guard carried out the operation, as has occurred in previous seizures. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to requests for additional details, and Southern Command said it had no further information beyond its initial statement.
The Sagitta is a Liberian-flagged tanker registered to a company based in Hong Kong. The vessel last transmitted its location more than two months ago while departing the Baltic Sea in northern Europe. The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned the tanker under an executive order tied to Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Southern Command indicated the ship had transported oil from Venezuela, saying the seizure “demonstrates our resolve to ensure that the only oil leaving Venezuela will be oil that is coordinated properly and lawfully.”
The military also released aerial footage showing the Sagitta at sea, though unlike earlier videos, it did not depict helicopters approaching or troops boarding the vessel. Since the U.S. removal of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a surprise overnight operation on Jan. 3, the Trump administration has moved to take control of Venezuela’s oil production, refining, and global distribution. Officials in President Trump’s Republican administration have said that seizing oil tankers could help generate revenue as they work to rebuild Venezuela’s damaged oil industry and revive its economy.
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