U.S. forces seize sanctioned oil tanker, Pentagon says

U.S. military forces have seized a sanctioned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean after tracking it from Caribbean waters, the Pentagon said on Tuesday (24 February), adding that it was the third such operation.

In a post on X, the U.S. Department of Defence said its forces boarded the Bertha overnight, accusing the crude oil tanker of attempting to defy Iran-related sanctions.

The Bertha, which flies under the Cook Islands flag, is linked to Shanghai Legendary Ship Management Company Limited and has been subject to sanctions imposed in January 2020, according to the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.

MarineTraffic data showed the vessel’s last reported position on AIS ship-tracking systems was on 24 February, sailing in the Indian Ocean off the Maldives.

“Overnight, U.S. forces conducted a right-of-visit maritime boarding of the Bertha without incident in the INDOPACOM (U.S. Indo-Pacific Command) area of responsibility,” the Pentagon said.

It added that the vessel had been operating in defiance of U.S. President Donald Trump’s quarantine on sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean and had attempted to evade enforcement efforts.

"From the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean, we tracked it and stopped it," the Pentagon wrote.

"Three boats ran and now all three have been captured," it added but gave no other details.

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Earlier this month, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said U.S. military forces had boarded the Suezmax tanker Aquila II.

In January, the U.S. seized the Venezuelan-linked crude oil tanker Marinera.

President Donald Trump has also ordered the Defence Department to change its name to the “Department of War”, a move that would require approval by Congress.

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