U.S. Forces Board Sanctioned Stateless Tanker, Indian Ocean
Issued: 4 months, 3 weeks ago
| Date | Reference | Region | Category | Aggressors | Source |
| 2026-06-05 00:01:00 | CWD Notification 009- (Jun 26) | Indian Ocean | OSINT | Military | Open source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open-sources have reported that U.S. forces conducted a maritime interdiction and right-of-visit boarding of a sanctioned stateless tanker (exact time not specified). The vessel was located approximately 20nm southwest of Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean. The tanker was claiming a false registry in Curacao and had previously falsely claimed to be sailing under the flag of Palau. Reports indicate the tanker was carrying approximately 1.9 million barrels of Iranian crude oil loaded on 20 March 2026 at Kharg Island, Iran, and had been off the coast of Sri Lanka for approximately six weeks. U.S. Indo-Pacific Command forces used helicopters to board the vessel. | |||||