The US military conducted a right-of-visit, maritime interdiction and boarding on the Aquila II in the Indian Ocean without incident. The tanker was accused of breaching Washington's blockade on sanctioned vessels traveling to or from Venezuela. The vessel departed from Venezuelan waters in early January as part of a flotilla bound for China.
Most tankers in the flotilla have returned to Venezuela or been seized by the US. The Aquila II was carrying about 700,000 barrels of Venezuelan heavy crude. The US has escalated its blockade on vessels going to and from Venezuela since capturing President Nicolas Maduro in a military raid last month.
The Department of War tracked and hunted the vessel from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean. The tanker's registration is unclear, according to shipping databases. The US has imposed sanctions on Venezuela due to concerns over human rights and democracy.
The blockade aims to restrict the country's access to international trade and commerce. The Aquila II was operating in defiance of the US quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean. The vessel was boarded by US military forces without incident, marking a significant escalation of the US's efforts to enforce its sanctions regime.
This incident highlights the ongoing tensions between the US and Venezuela, as well as the US's commitment to enforcing its sanctions regime. The fact that the tanker was able to operate in the Indian Ocean without being intercepted earlier suggests that there may be vulnerabilities in the current blockade measures.
