Key Points and Summary – In a pre-dawn raid launched from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, U.S. Marines and Navy sailors seized the M/T Olina, a “ghost fleet” oil tanker attempting to smuggle Venezuelan crude.
-This marks the fifth vessel seized by U.S. forces in the Caribbean as the Trump administration tightens sanctions following the capture of Nicolás Maduro.
The Ford-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) and the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) transit the Atlantic Ocean June 4, 2020, marking the first time a Ford-class and a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier have operated together underway. Ford is underway conducting integrated air wing operations, and the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group remains at sea in the Atlantic as a certified carrier strike group force ready for tasking in order to protect the crew from the risks posed by COVID-19, following their successful deployment to the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operation. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ruben Reed)
ATLANTIC OCEAN. (Aug. 24, 2024) The Nimitz-class aircraft carriers USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75), back, and the world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), sail in formation in the Atlantic Ocean, Aug. 24, 2024. USS Gerald R. Ford is the flagship of the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group. The aircraft carrier is underway in the Atlantic Ocean to further develop core unit capabilities and skills such as fuels certification and ammunition on-load during its basic phase of the optimized fleet response plan. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Maxwell Orlosky).
The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) underway under her own power for the first time while leaving Newport News Shipbuilding, Newport News, Virginia (USA), on 8 April 2017. The first-of-class ship – the first new U.S. aircraft carrier design in 40 years – spent several days conducting builder’s sea trials, a comprehensive test of many of the ship’s key systems and technologies. USS George Washington (CVN-73) and the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD-3) are visible in the background.
-The tanker, carrying approximately 890,000 barrels of oil worth $53 million, was flying a false flag and had been “dark” for 52 days. President Trump announced the seized oil would be sold through a new “GREAT Energy Deal.”
USS Gerald Ford Deploys Marines to Seize Sanctioned Tanker in Major Caribbean Raid Operation
US Marines and Navy sailors boarded and seized a fifth oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea early Friday, as the Trump administration tightens its grip on Venezuelan oil exports following the capture of former President Nicolás Maduro.
US Southern Command confirmed that Marines and naval forces from Joint Task Force Southern Spear launched from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford to seize the Motor/Tanker Olina in a pre-dawn raid that was conducted to support the Department of Homeland Security as part of “its mission to defend our homeland by ending illicit activity and restoring security in the Western Hemisphere.”
“Once again, our joint interagency forces sent a clear message this morning: ‘there is no safe haven for criminals,'” Southern Command wrote on X, releasing footage showing a helicopter touching down on the ship and personnel searching the ship.
The Joint Task Force Amphibious Ready Group
The Southern Command said the operation was conducted in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security and backed by the Navy’s Amphibious Ready Group, including the USS Iwo Jima, USS San Antonio, and USS Fort Lauderdale.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said the Olina was seized in international waters as it attempted to evade US forces after departing Venezuela.
“As another ‘ghost fleet’ tanker ship suspected of carrying embargoed oil, this vessel had departed Venezuela attempting to evade US forces,” Noem wrote on X. “The ghost fleets will not outrun justice. They will not hide under false claims of nationality.
“The Coast Guard will seize sanctioned oil tankers, enforce US and international law, and eliminate these funding streams for illicit activity, including narco-terrorism,” Noem added.
MV Olina Part Of “Shadow Fleet”
The MV Olina (IMO number 9282479) was falsely flying the flag of Timor-Leste, according to shipping database Equasis and maritime data firm Lloyd’s List Intelligence. The vessel is listed in international shipping registries of several countries as having an invalid registration.
The oil tanker, formerly called the Minerva M, was sanctioned by federal officials in January 2025 for its role in the trading of Russian oil amid Russia’s war in Ukraine. In July, the owner and manager of the ship were changed to a company in Hong Kong.
Vanguard, the British maritime risk management company designed and manned by UK ex-Special Forces, was quoted by Reuters as saying that the tanker had not transmitted its position for 52 days.
According to the report, its last signal came from the Venezuelan exclusive economic zone northeast of Curaçao. Vanguard said the seizure “follows a prolonged pursuit of tankers linked to sanctioned Venezuelan oil shipments in the region.”
An industry source also told Reuters the tanker departed Venezuela with a full cargo of up to 890,000 barrels of oil, worth approximately $53 million at current market prices of around $60 per barrel, just days after Maduro’s January 3 capture by US Delta Force operators, traveling as part of a group of vessels.
In a Truth Social post on Friday, President Trump said the tanker had departed Venezuela “without our approval” and is now on its way back to the South American country.
“The oil will be sold through the GREAT Energy Deal, which we have created for such sales,” Trump posted.
US officials have confirmed Russia is involved in a marked increase in energy smuggling. Russia continues to circumvent global oil price caps, and its continued reliance on a shadow tanker fleet, some of which have begun appearing in the Western Hemisphere.
According to officials familiar with internal intelligence assessments, Russian-origin fuel is being blended with Venezuelan or third-country products and routed through shell companies in the Caribbean, often with altered bills of lading and obscured ownership structures.
The US is going after these illicit maritime logistics networks that facilitate sanctioned oil that, in many cases, finances terror groups and institutions.
The US European Command confirmed the seizure of another Venezuela-linked oil tanker, the Marinera, formerly known as Bella-1, in the North Atlantic after pursuing it from the coast of South America. US Southern Command announced that the other intercepted vessel, M/T Sophia, was “conducting illicit activities” in international waters in the Caribbean.
The Bella-1, claimed Russian protection and was reportedly escorted by Russian Navy surface vessels and a submarine, before a 17-day chase across the Atlantic.
Ships like the Marinera are part of a so-called shadow fleet of ships that illegally transport oil from sanctioned nations like Russia, Iran, and Venezuela.
Maduro has denied US charges about how the vessels are being used and accuses the US of pirating Venezuelan resources under the cover of law enforcement.
The Bella-1, which claimed Russian protection and was reportedly escorted by Russian Navy surface vessels and a submarine, before a 17-day chase across the Atlantic.
The US continues to ramp up the pressure on these illicit oil shipments.
About the Author: Steve Balestrieri
Steve Balestrieri is a National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing on defense, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in many military publications.
