Shocking footage shows moment US special forces storm tanker | World | News
A US official has released footage showing American military forces boarding a tanker during a predawn operation at sea. The clip, shared by US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristy Noem, shows US Coast Guard tactical teams carrying out a coordinated boarding of a so-called ‘ghost fleet’ vessel as part of a wider operation targeting tankers linked to Venezuela.
In a post on X, Ms Noem said the operation was one of two back-to-back boardings carried out before dawn, with US forces intercepting tankers in the North Atlantic and near the Caribbean, describing them as part of a ‘ghost fleet’ linked to Venezuela and accused of helping to fund narco-terrorism. She claimed one vessel had tried to evade capture for weeks by changing its flag and repainting its name, but said US Coast Guard crews “pursued it across the high seas and through treacherous storms” under what she called President Donald Trump’s “America First at sea” leadership.
Ms Noem wrote on X: “In two predawn operations today, the Coast Guard conducted back-to-back meticulously coordinated boarding of two ‘ghost fleet’ tanker ships – one in the North Atlantic Sea and one in international waters near the Caribbean.”
Ms Noem said the US Coast Guard worked alongside the Departments of Defence, Justice and State to carry out what she described as safe and effective boardings within hours of each other. She claimed one of the tankers – the Motor Tanker Bella I – had attempted to evade authorities for weeks, even changing its flag and repainting its name while being pursued across international waters, before finally being intercepted.
She added: “The world’s criminals are on notice. You can run, but you can’t hide. We will never relent in our mission to protect the American people and disrupt the funding of narco terrorism wherever we find it, period.”
