Washington, United States: The United States has seized another oil tanker in the Caribbean as part of its intensified campaign to control the flow of Venezuelan oil and enforce economic sanctions, US Southern Command said Thursday.

In a pre-dawn operation, US Marines and sailors from Joint Task Force Southern Spear successfully apprehended the Motor/Tanker Veronica without incident, the military command responsible for security in Central and South America and the Caribbean announced on social media.

A video released by the command showed troops rappelling onto the deck of the vessel as part of the coordinated maritime operation.

“The only oil leaving Venezuela will be oil that is coordinated properly and lawfully,” the Southern Command said, highlighting Washington’s effort to clamp down on ships transporting crude outside legal channels.

This latest seizure marks the sixth tanker taken in recent weeks amid an ongoing push by US forces to enforce sanctions on vessels linked to Venezuela’s oil exports.