Shocking footage shows moment US special forces storm tanker | World | News
A US official has released footage showing American military forces boarding a tanker during a pre-dawn operation at sea. The clip, shared by US Homeland Security Secretary Kristy Noem, shows US Coast Guard tactical teams conducting a coordinated boarding of the so-called ‘ghost fleet’ ship as part of a broader operation targeting Venezuela-linked tankers.
Ms. Noem said in a post on He claimed a ship spent weeks trying to evade capture by changing its flag and repainting its name, but he said U.S. Coast Guard crews “pursued the ship on the high seas and through treacherous storms” under the command he called the President. Donald Trump‘s “America First at Sea” leadership.
Ms. Noem wrote of
Ms. Noem said the U.S. Coast Guard worked with the Departments of Defense, Justice and State to conduct what she called safe and effective boardings within a few hours of each other. He claimed that one of the tankers, Motor Tanker Bella I, had been trying to evade authorities for weeks, even changing its flag and repainting its name while being pursued in international waters, and was eventually stopped.
He added: “The world’s criminals are on alert. You can run, but you can’t hide. We will never abandon our mission to protect the American people and prevent the financing of narco terrorism wherever we find it.”
The Ministry of Defense confirmed that British armed forces were also providing support to the US-led operation. UK assets, including RAF surveillance aircraft and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary support ship RFA Tideforce, were involved in helping to capture the tanker Marinera overnight.
A Ministry of Defense spokesman said the operation was carried out by British military elements in a supporting role by US forces, as part of wider international efforts to enforce sanctions against the so-called “ghost fleet” of ships. While it was reported that the Russian-flagged tanker was under US surveillance after entering the North Atlantic, a second ship SofiaIt was captured in a separate but simultaneous operation near the Caribbean.
The tanker boardings are part of a broader U.S. campaign to enforce sanctions and crack down on so-called “ghost” or “shadow” fleets — ships that authorities say try to evade international trade restrictions by disguising their movements, changing identities and sailing under different flags. These ships are accused of carrying oil bound for sanctioned countries such as Venezuela and operating outside normal tracking to avoid detection.
In December, the United States launched an active naval blockade aimed at stopping tankers attempting to trade Venezuelan crude, including previous seizures of other ships thought to be part of sanctions-busting networks.
Bella I, later renamed Marinera and sailing under the Russian flag, was monitored for weeks as she attempted to bypass the blockade before being captured in the North Atlantic; Sophia, on the other hand, was stopped in the same operations near the Caribbean.
U.S. officials say these moves are aimed at cutting off revenue streams they believe help sustain illegal activities and criminal networks linked to these regimes.
