Sculpture of a hand holding an oil drilling rig outside Petroleos de Venezuela SA’s headquarters in the capital city of Caracas. (Javier Campos/picture alliance/Getty Images)
January 21, 2026 6:30 AM, EST
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U.S. military forces seized a seventh tanker near Venezuela on Jan. 20 as the Trump administration continues to pressure the South American country to halt its use of sanctioned ships and clamps down on the nation’s oil trade.
Motor Vessel Sagitta was captured in Caribbean waters without incident, the U.S. Southern Command said in a post on X. The ship was out of compliance with Washington’s restrictions on sanctioned vessels, said the command, which oversees U.S. military activities in the region.
“The apprehension of another tanker operating in defiance of President Trump’s established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean demonstrates our resolve to ensure that the only oil leaving Venezuela will be oil that is coordinated properly and lawfully,” the command said.
It’s the latest ship linked to Venezuela that the U.S. has taken control of since early December. Multiple seizures were executed before and after forces captured and removed former President Nicolas Maduro in a highly coordinated operation that included air strikes on Caracas.
The Trump administration has pledged to crack down on Venezuela’s use of sanctioned ships, which often deploy deceptive satellite positioning signals, false flags and other misleading techniques to illegally export oil and other goods. The ship seizures are taking place as Washington squeezes the country’s oil industry. Earlier this month, President Donald Trump said Venezuela “will be turning over” up to 50 million barrels of oil to the U.S.
Through #OpSouthernSpear, the @DeptofWar is unwavering in its mission to crush illicit activity in the Western Hemisphere in partnership with @USCG, @DHSgov and @TheJusticeDept.
This morning, U.S. military forces, in support of the Department of Homeland Security, apprehended… pic.twitter.com/UPADtiw681
— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) January 20, 2026
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