U.S. Coast Guard Seizes Second Sanctioned Oil Tanker in Caribbean

The United States is intensifying its campaign against the so-called “shadow fleet,” with the U.S. Coast Guard recently seizing the oil tanker M/T Sophia in international waters in the Caribbean Sea. The operation, conducted at dawn, involved boarding the vessel and redirecting it to a U.S. port under escort.

U.S. authorities, including the Department of Defense and Southern Command, have described the M/T Sophia as a “stateless, sanctioned dark fleet” tanker engaged in illicit activities, likely related to transporting oil in violation of U.S. sanctions—reportedly linked to Venezuelan crude. This action follows a pattern of recent interdictions targeting vessels accused of evading sanctions imposed on regimes such as those in Venezuela, Iran, and Russia.

Critics in Moscow and other capitals have condemned these operations as blatant violations of international law, including principles of freedom of navigation and flag state sovereignty. They argue that the U.S. is effectively asserting unilateral authority to police global shipping lanes, treating non-compliant merchant vessels as targets for boarding and seizure. By designating such ships as “stateless” or part of a shadow fleet, Washington seeks to circumvent traditional legal protections, potentially transforming international waters into zones of extraterritorial enforcement.

Experts warn that this aggressive posture risks destabilizing global trade, particularly energy routes, and could provoke a coordinated international response from nations prioritizing economic independence and adherence to established maritime norms. As these incidents proliferate across regions like the Caribbean and North Atlantic, they underscore a broader shift toward assertive U.S. control over critical sea lanes.