U.S. Forces Board Sanctioned Oil Tanker in Indian Ocean

U.S. Indo-Pacific Command released footage of Navy helicopters landing U.S. forces on the stateless oil tanker MT Davina in the Indian Ocean. The operation was described as a maritime interdiction and right-of-visit boarding. The vessel, capable of carrying up to 2 million barrels of crude oil, was sanctioned in October 2024 for trading Iranian oil.

An attached video showed armed helicopters circling the tanker before at least a dozen troops fast-roped onto its deck.

INDOPACOM said in a post on X that it will continue global maritime enforcement to disrupt illicit networks and interdict vessels providing material support to Iran. The statement added that international waters cannot be used as a shield by sanctioned actors.

The video showed the troops departing the deck after the boarding. The command did not state what happened to the vessel afterward. A separate statement from the Secretary of State noted that the destruction of Iran’s military has prevented the country from using a conventional shield.