"US Southern Command said in a statement that Marines and sailors, working in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security, launched from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and captured the tanker, Olina, "without incident." It appears to be the first time that the US has directly acknowledged the Ford's involvement in the five boarding and seizure operations that began in early December. However, the government has indicated that the carrier was used for at least one of the other missions."
"The Ford is the Navy's largest, newest, and most advanced aircraft carrier. It carries dozens of embarked fighter jets, early warning planes, and helicopters and was deployed to the Caribbean in the fall as part of the massive build-up of military forces in the region."
"Last year, the US imposed sanctions on Olina, which was flying the flag of Panama and named Minerva M at the time, according to a Treasury Department document. Data from MarineTraffic, a ship-tracking site, showed that the tanker was off Venezuela's coast several weeks ago and was sailing under the flag of Timor-Leste. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem called Olina a "ghost fleet" tanker that was suspected of carrying embargoed oil and "had departed Venezuela attempting to evade US forces.""
US military forces apprehended the oil tanker Olina in a pre-dawn operation in the Caribbean, marking the fifth seizure of a Venezuela-linked vessel alleged to violate sanctions. Marines and sailors, coordinating with the Department of Homeland Security, launched from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and captured Olina without incident. The carrier's involvement was directly acknowledged, though officials indicated the Ford had been used in at least one prior mission. Olina was sanctioned last year when named Minerva M under Panama's flag, was later tracked off Venezuela under Timor-Leste's flag, and was described as a "ghost fleet" suspected of carrying embargoed oil.
Read at Business Insider
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