Video: US tracks, intercepts defiant vessel across oceans in Trump quarantine enforcement
Abdullateef Fowewe
United States forces overnight conducted a right-of-visit, maritime interdiction and boarding of the Veronica III without incident in the INDOPACOM area of responsibility.
This was made known in a statement on Sunday by the US Department of War.
The operation underscored America’s ironclad commitment to President Trump’s quarantine orders.
As the statement detailed, “The vessel tried to defy President Trump’s quarantine—hoping to slip away. We tracked it from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean, closed the distance, and shut it down. No other nation has the reach, endurance, or will to do this.”
The Department emphasised that “International waters are not sanctuary. By land, air, or sea, we will find you and deliver justice.”
It vowed to continue aggressive action, declaring, “We defend the Homeland forward. Distance does not protect you” and that “The Department of War will deny illicit actors and their proxies freedom of movement in the maritime domain.”
No further details were released on the vessel’s cargo, crew, or ultimate destination, but the interdiction highlights escalating U.S. efforts to enforce maritime security amid rising global tensions.
