In two predawn operations on Wednesday, the US Coast Guard conducted back-to-back coordinated boarding of two tanker ships, one in the North Atlantic Sea and one in international waters near the Caribbean. Both vessels were either last docked in Venezuela or en route to it, officials said Wednesday.

U.S. European Command announced Wednesday the seizure of a Russia-flagged crude oil tanker for “violations of U.S. sanctions” in a social medial post.

Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said the vessel has been trying to evade the Coast Guard for weeks, even changing its flag and painting a new name on the hull while being pursued. The “heroic crew,” as she said, of the USCGC Munro pursued this vessel across the high seas and through treacherous storms. 

“It’s moving along and we’ll end up getting it,” Donald Trump said recently while unveiling a new class of battleships from Mar-a-Lago. “Yeah, we’re actually pursuing it. Can you imagine? Yeah, because it came from the wrong location. It came out of Venezuela, and it was sanctioned.”

During this time, the tanker was renamed and flagged to Russia, shipping databases show. The U.S. officials also confirmed the ship was in the North Atlantic.

In a post to social media, U.S. European Command confirmed that the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Munro tracked the ship ahead of its seizure “pursuant to a warrant issued by a U.S. federal court.”

The military command went on to say that the seizure supported President Donald Trump’s proclamation on targeting sanctioned vessels that “threaten the security and stability of the Western Hemisphere.”

The operation, it said, was executed by DHS components with support from the US Department of War, showcasing a whole-of-government approach to protect the homeland.

During a press briefing yesterday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed that the vessel was “a Venezuelan shadow-fleet vessel that has transported sanctioned oil.”

Then, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem revealed that U.S. forces also took control of another tanker in international waters near the Caribbean.

The United States has successfully apprehended a “sanctioned vessel” in international waters, according to a statement by the U.S. Southern Command on Wednesday.

In a coordinated pre-dawn action conducted by the Department of War and the Department of Homeland Security, the tanker was seized without incident, the U.S. Southern Command said.

The Coast Guard is now escorting the vessel to the U.S. for final disposition.

In a post on X, Kristi Noem wrote: “Under President Trump’s bold and visionary leadership, US Coast Guard tactical teams worked closely with its counterparts at the Departments of War, Department of Justice and State and used their specialized expertise to conduct these operations and conduct two safe, effective boardings within hours of each other.”