Information
The United States Department of Defense announced that U.S. forces boarded the Panama-flagged oil tanker Aquila II in the Indian Ocean after tracking it from the Caribbean. According to Agence France-Presse, the operation was carried out without incident, and a video was released on X to confirm the action. The Defense Department said the tanker was operating in defiance of sanctions linked to a quarantine policy established under Donald Trump, adding that U.S. forces pursued the vessel after it attempted to evade authorities.
The Aquila II was sanctioned for transporting Russian oil and was reportedly among several ships that left Venezuela following the capture and extradition of former president Nicolas Maduro in early January. Tracking data shows the tanker spent much of the past year “running dark” by turning off its transponder to avoid detection. This tactic is commonly used by so-called “shadow fleets” operated by countries such as Venezuela, Iran, and Russia, which rely on falsely flagged and covertly operated vessels to bypass international sanctions and transport illicit oil.
Source: AFP, AP
So What
It is highly likely that the United States is seeking to maintain pressure on the Venezuelan government while simultaneously signaling to other countries, possibly including India, that it is willing and able to interdict sanctioned vessels on a global scale. At the same time, these operations are gradually undermining Russia’s ability to sell its oil effectively by disrupting covert transportation networks. If Russia were to lose the majority of its shadow fleet, the resulting impact would likely be severe, leading to significant economic fallout and further constraining its capacity to generate revenue from energy exports.
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