US detains another Russian shadow fleet tanker in Caribbean Sea
According to Ukrinform, Sky News stated this in an article.
Two U.S. officials confirmed that the overnight detention operation was the result of joint efforts by the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. military's Joint Task Force Southern Spear.
Once again, our joint interagency forces sent a clear message this morning: “there is no safe haven for criminals.”
— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) January 9, 2026
In a pre-dawn action, Marines and Sailors from Joint Task Force Southern Spear, in support of the Department of Homeland Security, launched from the USS Gerald R.… pic.twitter.com/StHo4ufcdx
The oil tanker Olina was detained near the island of Trinidad in the Caribbean Sea. The vessel is the fifth tanker detained by the United States in recent weeks.
According to the public shipping database Equasis, Olina was falsely sailing under the flag of East Timor.
"The vessel's AIS [location] tracker was last active 52 days ago in the Venezuelan EEZ, northeast of Curacao," British maritime risk management company Vanguard says.
The tanker Olina departed Venezuela last week fully loaded with oil.
According to Ukrainian Defense Intelligence (HUR), the vessel is part of Russia's shadow fleet and is under sanctions imposed by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada, and other countries.
As Ukrinform previously reported, on January 7 U.S. law enforcement and military personnel detained an oil tanker flying the Russian flag in the Atlantic Ocean.
Photo: marinetraffic.com
