U.S. Coast Guard seizes Russian‑flagged tanker Galileo in Caribbean

The U.S. Coast Guard said it boarded and seized a Russian‑flagged oil tanker in a pre-dawn operation in the Caribbean Sea, releasing video that shows armed U.S. forces sliding down ropes from a helicopter onto the ship. The service described the vessel as the sixth ship intercepted since December, according to a Coast Guard social media post.

The tanker was originally called Veronica and had recently been renamed Galileo; U.S. authorities obtained a warrant to seize the vessel based on its history carrying Iranian oil, which prosecutors maintained was sold to finance terrorism, according to an American official briefed on the seizure who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The ship had officially registered as Russian last week and had also claimed to be registered in Guyana, raising questions about whether it was operating under a valid flag, the official said. The Galileo has been sanctioned by the United States since 2022 and was sanctioned by Ukraine; tracking firms say it previously transported Iranian oil on at least 15 voyages.

The vessel, recorded under several names including Pegas, Lana and Veronica (IMO 9256860), left Venezuelan waters after President Nicolás Maduro’s capture on Jan. 3 and was not carrying oil at the time, according to data from TankerTrackers.com and Kpler. U.S.

Key Topics

Politics, Tanker Galileo, Caribbean Sea, U.s. Coast Guard, Venezuela, Iranian Oil