US intercepts Russian shadow fleet tanker in Indian Ocean

The US military has intercepted the Aquila II oil tanker in the Indian Ocean, which is linked to Russia’s so-called shadow fleet.

This was reported by the US Department of Defense.

The Pentagon noted that the interception and boarding operation took place without incident in the area of responsibility of the US Indo-Pacific Command.

“Overnight, U.S. military personnel conducted an interception and disembarkation on the Aquila II vessel without incident,” the U.S. Department of Defense said.

The department clarified that the tanker acted in violation of the quarantine for sanctioned vessels, which was previously introduced by the US presidential administration. According to the Pentagon, the Aquila II tried to evade control and leave the Caribbean.

The US military tracked the ship and pursued it from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean.

The Aquila II flies the Panamanian flag and is part of the Russian shadow fleet. Such vessels are used to transport sanctioned Russian and Venezuelan oil.

As previously reported, on January 14, coastal services received a report that the Iranian dry cargo ship Rona had suffered an accident in the waters of the Caspian Sea.

As a reminder, in the port of Odessa, the Security Service of Ukraine detained a foreign cargo ship that was part of the so-called “shadow fleet” of Russia and was illegally transporting Ukrainian agricultural products from temporarily occupied Crimea.