U.S. forces boarded another oil tanker on Friday in a pre-dawn action, the U.S. Southern Command announced.

The US Coast Guard on Friday boarded a crude oil tanker in international waters east of the Caribbean Sea, with the Trump administration indicating that more seizures could come.

Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem confirmed the news on X: “As another “ghost fleet” tanker ship suspected of carrying embargoed oil, this vessel had departed Venezuela attempting to evade U.S. forces. Close coordination with the Department of War, Department of State, and Department of Justice ensured a safe, effective boarding consistent with law. The ghost fleets will not outrun justice. They will not hide under false claims of nationality.”

In a post on X, she also wrote: “The Coast Guard will seize sanctioned oil tankers, enforce U.S. and international law, and eliminate these funding streams for illicit activity including narco-terrorism.

“We are deeply proud of the Coast Guard’s maritime fighting force for their relentless execution of this mission. This is owning the sea.”

US Marines and Sailors from Joint Task Force Southern Spear, in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), carried out the mission.

They launched from the USS Gerald R. Ford in a pre-dawn raid, a spokesperson for U.S. Southern Command said in a post on X.

“The Department of War’s Operation Southern Spear is unwavering in its mission to defend our homeland by ending illicit activity and restoring security in the Western Hemisphere,” the post read.

Confirming the development, the U.S. Southern Command said its forces had “apprehended” the motor/tanker in the Caribbean Sea “without incident.”

“Apprehensions like this are backed by the full power of the U.S. Navy’s Amphibious Ready Group, including the ready and lethal platforms of the USS Iwo Jima, USS San Antonio, and USS Fort Lauderdale,” the statement reads.

The recent seizures of ships by US forces send a signal to shipping companies and insurers that vessels engaged in sanction evasion schemes face not only reputational and financial risks but the possibility of being physically seized after a long pursuit.

The United States has framed the recent pursuit of ships as part of a broader effort to enforce sanctions on Venezuela and Russian energy networks that it accuses of undermining international pressure on Caracas.

These operations fit into a broader pattern of U.S. maritime enforcement that has increasingly relied on forward deployed assets to intercept ships far from American shores.

Officials have described the seizures as part of a layered defense that uses intelligence and naval presence to identify and stop tankers that evade sanctions.

Shipping Telegraph cannot independently verify the claims of the US regarding the tanker seized on Friday.

US forces seize another oil tanker in Caribbean Sea in a revealing video