The United States War Department announced on Tuesday that it intercepted a third tanker in the Indian Ocean that, according to Washington, violated the blockade imposed on crude oil operations in the Caribbean related to Venezuela and Cuba, and attempted to escape the U.S. cordon. 'Three vessels put to flight and now all three have been captured,' insisted the War Department, which had already intercepted the Aquila II and the Veronica III in the Indian Ocean, also accused by Washington of trying to flee after violating its crude oil blockade in the Caribbean. The Bertha, identified as a vessel under the Cook Islands flag by the Marine Traffic tracking site, is one of about 16 sanctioned tankers that are said to have attempted to evade the U.S. cordon. 'During the night, U.S. forces carried out a right of visit for inspection, maritime interdiction, and boarding of the Bertha without incident in the area of responsibility of Indopacom (Indo-Pacific Command),' revealed the Pentagon in a message on X accompanied by a video and photos of the operation. According to the U.S. Armed Forces, 'the vessel was operating by challenging the quarantine established by President (U.S. Donald) Trump for sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean and tried to evade it.' 'The War Department will deny illicit actors and their representatives freedom of maneuver in the maritime domain,' the Pentagon recalled today. These restrictions include crude oil shipments to Cuba. By land, air, or sea, our forces will find them and bring them to justice. International waters are not a refuge for sanctioned actors.
