U.S. Boards Shadow Fleet Tanker ‘Veronica III’ in Indian Ocean

U.S. forces have boarded the sanctioned oil tanker VERONICA III in the Indian Ocean, marking the ninth vessel seized or interdicted in an intensifying campaign against the shadow fleet transporting illicit Venezuelan oil—one that now stretches from the Caribbean to the far reaches of the Indo-Pacific.

The Panama-flagged VERONICA III (IMO: 9326055) was intercepted overnight without incident in U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s area of responsibility after allegedly attempting to evade President Trump’s quarantine on sanctioned oil shipments, according to the Department of War.

“We defend the Homeland forward. Distance does not protect you,” the Department of War said in a social media post. “The vessel tried to defy President Trump’s quarantine—hoping to slip away. We tracked it from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean, closed the distance, and shut it down. No other nation has the reach, endurance, or will to do this.”

According to maritime intelligence firm TankerTrackers.com, VERONICA III departed Venezuela on January 3, 2026—the same day Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro was captured—carrying approximately 1.9 million barrels of crude oil and fuel oil. The tanker has been involved in transporting Russian, Iranian, and Venezuelan oil since 2023 and is known in tracking circles by the alias “DS VECTOR.”

A Vessel with a History

VERONICA III has long been on U.S. authorities’ radar. The vessel was first sanctioned by the Treasury Department on December 3, 2024, as part of a sweeping action targeting 35 entities and vessels linked to Iran’s petroleum trade.

Treasury identified the tanker as managed by Shanghai Future Ship Management Co. Ltd., a Chinese firm accused of facilitating illicit Iranian oil shipments for years. The company’s record includes a 2021 incident in which one of its managed vessels was seized by Indonesian authorities after being caught transferring oil from an Iranian-flagged tanker—triggering an oil spill while both ships attempted to conceal their identities by disabling AIS.

Treasury documents show VERONICA III had transported hundreds of thousands of metric tons of Iranian crude oilon behalf of the National Iranian Oil Company and the U.S.-designated China Concord Petroleum Company since at least 2022.

Part of a Broader Campaign

The interdiction comes just days after U.S. forces intercepted the Aquila II on February 9 following a 10,000-mile pursuit from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean—an operation that marked the eighth tanker seizure or interdiction in the expanding crackdown.

The enforcement campaign accelerated sharply after President Trump announced a “complete blockade” of sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela in mid-December. Earlier seizures included the Veronica on January 15, the Olina on January 9, the M Sophia and Marinera on January 7, and the Skipper and Centuries in December.

“The Department of War will deny illicit actors and their proxies freedom of movement in the maritime domain,” the department said. “International waters are not sanctuary. By land, air, or sea, we will find you and deliver justice.”

Russia has condemned the interdictions as illegal and warned of potential retaliation against U.S.-flagged vessels. U.S. Southern Command has defended the actions as lawful enforcement of U.S. sanctions policy, supported by significant military presence including carrier strike groups and amphibious forces in the region.

Disrupting the Shadow Fleet

Treasury officials say the goal of the campaign is to choke off revenue streams tied to sanctioned oil exports while raising risks for insurers, traders, and service providers that continue to support shadow-fleet operations.

Iran, Russia, and Venezuela relies on sprawling networks of aging tankers and opaque ship management firms operating across multiple jurisdictions, using tactics such as false documentation, AIS manipulation, and constant changes to vessel names and flags to evade detection.

The pursuit and seizure of VERONICA III underscores both the increasing lengths sanctioned operators will go to avoid detection—and the expanding geographic scope of U.S. efforts to stop them. The campaign now spans three oceans and shows no signs of slowing.

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