US Intercepts Russian Shadow Fleet Tanker Aquila II

The US military intercepted the tanker Aquila II in the Indian Ocean for violating sanctions.

The Pentagon said in a statement that the landing took place “without incident.”

The tanker, the Pentagon explained, was operating in violation of the quarantine for sanctioned vessels imposed by US President Donald Trump.

The Defense Department said that the ship was tracked from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean, after which an operation was carried out to intercept it.

“No other country on planet Earth has the ability to impose its will across any territory. On land, in the air, or at sea, our Armed Forces will find you and bring you to justice. You will run out of fuel long before you outrun us,” the statement said.

The Pentagon added that they would deprive illegal actors and their intermediaries of the ability to challenge US authority in the global maritime sphere.

Tanker Aquila II

Aquila II appears in the database of the War & Sanctions portal, created by the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, as a vessel involved in the transportation of sanctioned Russian and Venezuelan crude oil.

The ship belongs to the category of crude oil tankers with a deadweight of 159,073 tons.

Aquila II is considered part of the so-called “shadow fleet” associated with SUNNE CO LIMITED, which the US added to its sanctions list on January 10, 2025.

On the same day, the US also imposed sanctions on the ship itself. Subsequently, restrictions were also imposed by the UK, the EU, Canada, Switzerland, and Ukraine.

As of July 2025, the ship’s official flag was unknown, although it was actually flying the Panamanian flag.

On January 7, the US military carried out an operation to intercept the oil tanker Marinera, formerly known as Bella-1 and now flying the Russian flag.