U.S. military forces boarded and took control of a seventh oil tanker connected with Venezuela on Tuesday as part of the Trump administration’s broader efforts to take control of the South American country’s oil.

The U.S. has seized seven Venezuelan-linked oil tankers since Dec. 10, 2025. Six of the seizures have occurred in the Caribbean region, and one in the North Atlantic. After last y

U.S. military forces boarded and took control of a seventh oil tanker connected with Venezuela on Tuesday as the Trump administration continues its efforts to take control of the South American country’s oil.

The U.S. military seized another Venezuelan oil tanker in the Caribbean, with support from the Department of Homeland Security, Jan. 20, according to U.S. Southern Command. (Southcom via X)

U.S. maritime forces in the Caribbean apprehended a seventh Venezuelan oil tanker, Sagitta, on Tuesday morning under the banner of Operation Southern Spear. The operation was conducted by a joint task force in support of the Department of Homeland Security and marks another step in President Donald Trump’s efforts to interdict unauthorized Venezuelan energy exports.

US has moved to assert strict control over production and sale of Venezuelan oil since attacking the country this month.

The U.S. miltary said the tanker was operating in defiance of President Donald Trump’s “established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean.”

U.S. military forces boarded and took control of a seventh oil tanker connected with Venezuela on Tuesday as the Trump administration continues its efforts to take control of the oil in the South American country.