On 25 February 2026, the United States Navy, in coordination with the United States Coast Guard, confirmed the boarding and seizure of a Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) in the Indian Ocean carrying approximately 2 million barrels of Venezuelan crude oil.
The vessel was identified as part of a sanctions-evasion network and had reportedly transitioned registry between Cook Islands and Curaçao. This marks the tenth confirmed seizure linked to Venezuelan crude trades since December 2025 and the third interdiction conducted in Indian Ocean transit corridors within 16 days.
Why It Matters for Maritime
This enforcement action shifts sanctions interdiction activity beyond the Caribbean into long-haul crude transit lanes. Immediate implications include:
• Removal of a VLCC from active trading circulation
• Increased due-diligence scrutiny on registry transitions and AIS history
• Elevated insurance and compliance risk for Indian Ocean crude routing
• Upward pressure on compliant VLCC spot availability
Indian Ocean enforcement activity directly affects Middle East–Asia and Atlantic–Asia crude corridors. Operators engaged in Venezuelan-linked cargo movements face heightened boarding and seizure risk.
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