Caribbean Sea News

U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Resolute’s crew offloaded approximately 2,570 pounds of cocaine worth more than $19.3 million and transferred six suspected drug smugglers to federal authorities, Thursday, at Base Miami Beach.The seized contraband was the result of three interdictions in the Caribbean Sea by the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Tahoma and the crew of the USS Billings with an embarked Coast Guard law enforcement detachment.The following assets and crews were involved in the interdiction operations:USCGC TahomaUSS BillingsCoast Guard Helicopter Interdiction Tactical SquadronU.S.

Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Tyler Jaggers, an aviation survival technician assigned to Air Station Astoria, Oregon, passed away the evening of March 5, 2026, as a result of critical injuries suffered during the rescue of a distressed mariner from a commercial ship offshore of Oregon on February 27.As part of an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Astoria, Jaggers was injured while responding to a medical emergency aboard the commercial motor vessel Momi Arrow…

A Hong Kong-flagged tanker carrying fuel likely bound for Cuba has halted navigation in the Atlantic Ocean, ship tracking data showed on Wednesday, a blow for the oil-thirsty Caribbean nation.The tanker Sea Horse loaded through a ship-to-ship transfer in the Mediterranean before departing towards the Caribbean Sea, according to monitoring service TankerTrackers.com. The vessel had been expected to arrive in Cuban waters later this week, according to its speed and trajectory.Hongkong Hangda Shipping LTD…

Family members of two men killed in a U.S. missile strike against a suspected drug boat near Venezuela filed a wrongful death lawsuit on Tuesday, alleging the pair were murdered in a "manifestly unlawful" military campaign targeting civilian vessels.Civil rights lawyers filed the lawsuit in Boston's federal court, marking the first court challenge to one of the 36 U.S. missile strikes on vessels in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean authorized by President Donald Trump's administration…

The U.S. has seized the Olina tanker in the Caribbean, the fifth vessel targeted in recent weeks as Washington steps up efforts to curb Venezuelan oil exports, U.S. officials said on Friday.The Olina, which according to public shipping database Equasis was falsely flying the flag of Timor Leste, previously sailed from Venezuela and had returned to the region, said an industry source with direct knowledge of the matter.In a pre-dawn move, marines and sailors from Joint Task Force Southern Spear, launched from the carrier USS Gerald R.

At least two oil tankers have made their way to Venezuela in recent days and others are navigating towards the country, a sign of state-run PDVSA's effort to expand floating storage and keep selling crude even as a U.S. blockade has reduced exports to a minimum.U.S. President Donald Trump this month announced a blockade of all sanctioned vessels going in or out of Venezuelan waters as part of a strategy to pressure Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The U.S. move has cut oil exports this month to about half of their November level.The U.S.

The White House has ordered U.S. military forces to focus almost exclusively on enforcing a "quarantine" of Venezuelan oil for at least the next two months, a U.S. official told Reuters, indicating Washington is currently more interested in using economic rather than military means to pressure Caracas."While military options still exist, the focus is to first use economic pressure by enforcing sanctions to reach the outcome the White House is looking (for)," the official said on Wednesday…

Venezuela's ruling-party controlled National Assembly unanimously approved a law on Tuesday that allows prison sentences of up to 20 years for anyone who promotes or finances what it describes as piracy or blockades.The law, which includes "other international crimes", comes after recent U.S. actions against Venezuelan oil shipments.The U.S. Coast Guard seized a sanctioned supertanker carrying Venezuelan crude earlier this month and attempted to intercept two other vessels linked to Venezuela over the weekend, U.S.

Venezuela's state-run oil company PDVSA has started filling tankers with crude and fuel oil and keeping them in Venezuelan waters, as inventories have mounted due to the U.S. seizing Venezuela-linked ships at sea, according to company documents and shipping data.This month, the U.S. Coast Guard intercepted the Skipper and Centuries tankers in the Caribbean Sea, both fully loaded with Venezuelan crude. The Coast Guard this week was pursuing a third empty vessel that was approaching…

Tanker loading in Venezuela dwindled on Monday, with most ships moving oil cargoes only between domestic ports following U.S. action against two more ships and as state-run energy company PDVSA struggles to recover from a cyberattack, according to tracking data and sources.The U.S. Coast Guard this month seized a supertanker under sanctions carrying Venezuelan oil and tried to intercept two more Venezuela-related ships over the weekend, U.S. authorities said. One of them is an empty ship under U.S.

Venezuela's state-run oil company PDVSA on Wednesday was resuming oil cargo deliveries at its terminals following a cyberattack that affected its centralized administrative systems, according to the company and sources.PDVSA, which is grappling with the U.S. announcement on Tuesday of a blockade of all sanctioned tankers approaching or planning to leave Venezuelan waters, was able to isolate oilfields, refineries, ports and other facilities from its central system to resume work…

U.S. President Donald Trump ordered on Tuesday a "blockade" of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, in Washington's latest move to increase pressure on Nicolas Maduro's government, targeting its main source of income.It is unclear how Trump will impose the move against the sanctioned vessels, and whether he will turn to the Coast Guard to interdict vessels like he did last week. The administration has moved thousands of troops and nearly a dozen warships - including an aircraft carrier - to the region."For the theft of our Assets…

A tanker carrying Russian naphtha for Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA and at least four supertankers due to pick up crude cargoes in Venezuela have made u-turns after the U.S. seized a vessel carrying Venezuelan crude, ship monitoring data showed on Monday.The U.S. Coast Guard last week intercepted and seized a very large crude carrier (VLCC) carrying some 1.85 million barrels of Venezuelan heavy oil sold by PDVSA, a sign of increasing friction between Venezuela and the U.S.…

Russia's foreign ministry denounced on Saturday "excessive military force" by the United States in the Caribbean Sea deployed as part of a drive against drug trafficking and reaffirmed its support for Venezuela's leaders."We firmly denounce the use of excessive military force in carrying out actions in anti-drugs operations," foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in a commentary on her ministry's website."Such actions are in violation of both U.S. domestic legislation ... and the norms of international law."A U.S.

U.S. forces hit another vessel allegedly carrying illegal drugs off the coast of Venezuela on Saturday evening, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday, adding that the U.S. would also start looking at drug trafficking occurring on land.Trump made the comment during a speech at Naval Station Norfolk, next to the Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier. It was not immediately clear if he was referencing a strike announced Friday by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth."In recent weeks, the Navy has supported our mission to blow the cartel terrorists the hell out of the water ...

The Mediterranean Sea officially became an Emission Control Area for Sulphur Oxides and Particulate Matter (Med SOx ECA) under MARPOL Annex VI on May 1, 2025. The sulphur content in fuel oil for ships operating in the area is now limited to 0.1%, reducing air pollution and delivering benefits to both human health and the marine environment. Ships operating in Emission Control Areas for Sulphur Oxides and Particulate Matter, such as the Mediterranean Sea, are subject to strict mandatory measures to prevent, reduce and control air pollution.

Some tankers Chevron had chartered to move crude from Venezuela to the United States this month are now being marketed for spot contracts elsewhere, sources said, after state company PDVSA canceled loading permits and ordered the firm to return cargoes amid payment uncertainty related to sanctions.The marketing of the vessels indicates that Chevron does not expect to load all the cargoes it typically ships from Venezuela in a month even if it eventually finds a way to resolve the disagreement with PDVSA.Tanker Sea Dragon…

A vessel chartered by Chevron carrying some 500,000 barrels of Venezuelan oil is about to complete the discharge of the cargo at a Venezuelan port, according to shipping data and a source, following state company PDVSA's order to return the crude amid payment uncertainty related to U.S. sanctions.At least nine tankers Chevron had chartered to carry Venezuelan crude to the U.S. in coming weeks as part of the wind down of its U.S. license through May 27 are now stalled in the Caribbean…

On March 1, 2025, His Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Harry DeWolf successfully assisted a United States Coast Guard (USCG) Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) in conducting a seizure of 750 kilograms of cocaine in the Caribbean Sea. This seizure, supported by Colombian air and maritime assets, has an estimated street value $18.8 million.Sailing in support of Operation CARIBBE, Canada's contribution to the United States (US)-led enhanced counter-narcotics operations in the Caribbean Sea…

Incat Crowther designed a new 24-m passenger fast ferry for Caribbean operator Smith's Ferry Services. Built by Australian shipyard Aluminium Marine in Brisbane, the new ferry will transport 149 passengers at speeds of up to 28 knots and has been designed for the busy Charlotte Amalie (U.S Virgin Islands) to Road Town (British Virgin Islands) tourism route.The main deck can transport 118 passengers in air-conditioned comfort. It boasts a large service kiosk, two bathrooms, and luggage space.

An anchor chain failure, followed by a navigation failure, led to the grounding of the cargo vessel Bonnie G in the Caribbean Sea, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has concluded.On October 4, 2023, the Bonnie G was anchored, waiting out poor weather about 1 mile south of St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, when its anchor chain parted and the vessel began to drift toward land.As the captain attempted to navigate the vessel away from shore, the vessel grounded.The 12 people on board abandoned the vessel and were rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard.

Saildrone is scaling up its fleet in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific to stem the flow of illegal drugs into the United States in response to the US-declared state of emergency at its southern border.On the water, the US Navy and Coast Guard have moved fleets of ships into place. These agencies are responsible for securing thousands of miles of coastline and open ocean, but assets are extremely limited, and there is too much water to cover.Now, Saildrone is doubling its fleet…

Oceans worldwide hold untold riches hidden beneath the waves. Now treasure hunters are using  cutting-edge technology to explore them, discovering some of history's most treasured sunken finds from Caribbean waters to Arctic depths rewriting maritime history and uncovering fortunes lost at sea.According to estimates by marine archaeologists and treasure hunting experts, the value of treasure lying beneath the waves could range anywhere between $60 billion to over $100 billion.