U.S. forces boarded the crude oil tanker Bertha overnight in the Indian Ocean and took control of the vessel after tracking it from the Caribbean, the Pentagon said Tuesday in a statement posted by Department of War on X.
The post described the operation as a “right-of-visit” maritime interdiction and boarding carried out “without incident” in the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command area. It said the tanker tried to evade while operating “in defiance” of President Donald Trump’s quarantine order targeting sanctioned vessels and added, “Three boats ran and now all three have been captured.”
The Bertha is listed by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control as a sanctioned vessel linked to Shanghai Legendary Ship Management Company Limited, according to OFAC. The Pentagon did not disclose the ship’s cargo, its crew status, or whether the vessel is being formally seized under U.S. authority.
The action marks the third interdiction tied to the administration’s stepped-up maritime enforcement campaign, as reported by Reuters. Earlier operations involved other tankers accused of moving oil in violation of U.S. sanctions and the quarantine order.
Trump’s quarantine, announced in recent months, has been framed by the administration as a way to disrupt sanction-evasion networks that rely on ships flagged through third countries and opaque management structures. The Pentagon has argued that international waters do not shield vessels under U.S. sanctions enforcement efforts.
No other details were released Tuesday about where the Bertha will be taken or what legal process will follow.
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