U.S. Forces Intercept and Board Sanctioned Tanker Aquila II in Indian Ocean After Global Pursuit

U.S. military forces have intercepted and boarded the sanctioned oil tanker Aquila II in the Indian Ocean following a weeks-long pursuit that began in the Caribbean and stretched over 10,000 nautical miles, officials said.

The operation took place overnight 9 February 2026, inside the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s area of responsibility, and was carried out without incident, according to a Pentagon statement. The interdiction is part of Washington’s expanding efforts to enforce sanctions and maritime blockades targeting vessels used to transport oil linked to Russia and Venezuela.

Sanctioned Over Shadow Fleet Links

The tanker was designated by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control in January 2025 as blocked property tied to Russia’s energy sector. Known to intelligence analysts as part of a shadow fleet that moves sanctioned crude using repeated name, flag, and ownership changes to evade enforcement, Aquila II reportedly left Venezuelan waters in early January under the alias Cape Balder with a partial cargo of crude before being tracked across oceans.

Broader Enforcement Campaign

The boarding of Aquila II is the eighth such seizure under an intensifying U.S. crackdown on sanctioned tankers, following recent interdictions including vessels such as Sagitta and Veronica in the Caribbean and Atlantic. Officials say these actions are aimed at preventing sanctioned oil from re-entering global markets and disrupting networks that persistently evade monitoring.

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