The United States has confirmed that its military forces conducted a night-time operation on a different oil tanker. According to a statement from the US Department of War posted on Twitter, the operation included a right-of-visit, maritime interdiction, and boarding of the vessel named Bertha.
The department reported that the boarding of the tanker went smoothly, with footage showing three US military helicopters hovering over the ship’s deck. The statement mentioned that the Bertha was found operating against President Trump’s quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean and attempted to evade capture.
This recent raid follows previous incidents where US commandos boarded two other vessels. The first raid occurred on the Russian-flagged ship Marinera in the North Atlantic, while the second took place on the Motor Taker Sophia in the Caribbean. The Department of War stated that all three vessels that attempted to flee have now been apprehended.
The department emphasized its commitment to enforcing sanctions globally and stated that no other nation has the capability to track and stop sanctioned vessels like the US. It warned that international waters are not a safe haven for those violating sanctions and that US forces will pursue justice on land, air, or sea.
The operation on the Bertha was carried out by units under the US Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM). According to maritime tracking websites, the Bertha is a crude oil tanker flagged under the Cook Islands, measuring 330.25 meters in length and 60.05 meters in width. The vessel’s last recorded location was off the coast of Nigeria 80 days ago, far from the reported location of the recent operation in the Indian Ocean.
