U.S. forces fast‑rope onto seized oil tankers in recently released videos

Videos posted this week by the U.S. military and Coast Guard show American troops fast‑roping from helicopters onto civilian oil tankers, including the Marinera (previously Bella 1), which the Coast Guard seized off the coast of Scotland, and the Veronica, which the U.S. military said it seized for violating a blockade on sanctioned vessels carrying Venezuelan oil.

The footage, though edited and incomplete, shows troops sliding down thick braided ropes from a hovering helicopter, with assault rifles slung across their chests and night‑vision equipment on their helmets. Some gunners take a knee and point weapons toward a ship’s stern while other team members move toward the bridge, illustrating how quickly boarding teams can be inserted onto “noncompliant” vessels.

A retired Coast Guard officer who helped establish the tactics said the service has invested heavily in special training for these teams and the aviation units that support them, and that the personnel in the videos included members of the Coast Guard’s elite Maritime Security Response Teams.

Fast‑roping was pioneered by special forces and has spread to more conventional units over the past 30 years as a faster, less weather‑dependent alternative to motorboat approaches and climbable ladder rigs.

Key Topics

World, Us Coast Guard, Scotland, Venezuela, Marinera, Veronica