{"id":25912,"date":"2026-01-22T12:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T17:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/?p=25912"},"modified":"2026-01-22T05:32:32","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T10:32:32","slug":"assault-before-dawn-in-the-caribbean-marines-rappel-from-the-uss-gerald-r-ford-and-seize-the-tanker-olina-with-700000-barrels-on-board","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/assault-before-dawn-in-the-caribbean-marines-rappel-from-the-uss-gerald-r-ford-and-seize-the-tanker-olina-with-700000-barrels-on-board\/25912\/","title":{"rendered":"Assault before dawn in the Caribbean: Marines rappel from the USS Gerald R. Ford and seize the tanker Olina with 700,000 barrels on board"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Before dawn on January 9, U.S. Marines slid down ropes onto the oil tanker Olina in the Caribbean Sea. The raid from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford<\/a> was the fifth tanker seizure under Operation Southern Spear, Washington’s campaign against illicit Venezuelan<\/a> and Russian oil<\/a> shipments. Beneath the geopolitics sits a story about climate, coral reefs and the growing risks of a shadow oil fleet. In its statement, U.S. Southern Command<\/a> said that “there is no safe haven for criminals” in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

U.S. Southern Command says Marines and sailors took control of the Olina without incident near Trinidad, working with the Coast Guard. The Aframax tanker, previously named Minerva M, has been under sanctions since 2021 and left Venezuela fully loaded with more than 700,000 barrels of crude while falsely flying the flag of Timor Leste and switching off its tracking signal, a pattern officials associate with ghost fleet tankers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why should anyone who does not follow sanctions law care about a single intercepted ship. Because Olina is one hull in a rapidly expanding network of aging tankers that environmental groups warn could cause the next big spill in some of the world’s most fragile seas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Read More: China launches a floating island unlike anything seen before and takes a giant step toward dominating deep-sea research<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Investigations by Greenpeace<\/a>, the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air<\/a> and the European Parliament describe Russia’s shadow fleet as mostly older, poorly maintained vessels sailing under obscure flags with limited insurance. More than 70 percent of these tankers are over 15 years old, and analysts have already logged over 50 incidents involving the fleet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When ships like that work their way into the Caribbean, the risk is not just legal. The region’s waters hold dense networks of coral reefs<\/a>, mangroves and seagrass meadows that nurture fish, buffer storm waves and support coastal tourism. The United Nations Environment Programme<\/a> notes that spilled oil can smother reefs, coat mangrove roots and seep into sand, killing trees and seagrass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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