US Coast Guard Seizes Sixth Venezuela-Linked Oil Tanker — the Veronica — in Caribbean as Trump Tightens Oil Sector Control

US forces seized the Veronica, a shadow fleet oil tanker carrying Venezuelan crude, on January 15, 2026 — the sixth Venezuelan-linked tanker seized under Trump's campaign to control Venezuela's oil sector. The vessel, which had also operated as the Galileo and flew a Guyanese flag while managed by a Russian company, was found at anchor off Aruba near Venezuela's main oil terminal. The seizures escalated pressure on Venezuela's interim leader ahead of a planned Trump-Machado meeting, with analysts noting Trump was using oil as a tool of political coercion.