USS Gerald R. Ford Saves Day By 'Apprehending' Another Wobbly Tanker
KEY POINTS
- •On January 7, 2026, US Southern Command reported Marines and sailors seized the oil tanker Olina from the USS Gerald R. Ford in the Caribbean Sea.
- •The vessel Olina had flown Panamanian and Timor-Leste flags and was sanctioned by the US Treasury for evading embargoes linked to Venezuela's oil.
- •This seizure marks the fifth Venezuela-linked ship apprehended since December amid an ongoing US military naval blockade and intensified operations in the region.
On January 7, 2026, the US Navy’s shiniest, largest, and newest aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford deployed Marines and sailors to 'apprehend' Olina, a tanker so slippery it’s been flagged in Panama, Timor-Leste, and possibly a pirate novel. Olina, formerly Minerva M, was caught off Venezuela after attempting a pre-dawn Caribbean escape, prompting Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to dub it part of the 'ghost fleet' allegedly smuggling forbidden oil—because nothing says stealth like crossing the Atlantic whilst three foreign flags play musical chairs. This is the fifth Venezuela-linked vessel seized since December, featuring a Navy fleet so focused on catching oil smugglers it might as well start a reality show.
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When your oil tanker thinks a passport swap is a magic trick to dodge sanctions, but then a $14B aircraft carrier crashes the party because why not.
US Navy’s USS Gerald R. Ford just turned a Venezuelan tanker chase into the most expensive game of hide and seek ever filmed.
Olina tanker’s strategy: Change flags faster than clothes but still get caught by a floating city worth more than some countries.
Source: Businessinsider | Published: 1/9/2026 | Author: Jake Epstein
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