U.S. Captures Third ‘Shadow Fleet’ Tanker in Indian Ocean

Heather Mongilio and Sam LaGrone - February 24, 2026 4:05 PMU.S. forces captures MT Bertha in the Indian Ocean, the Pentagon announced Feb. 24, 2026. Pentagon image

The U.S. has captured oil tanker MT Bertha, a ship allegedly sailing under a Cook Islands flag, in the Indian Ocean, the Pentagon announced Tuesday.

Bertha is the third oil tanker U.S. forces have tracked from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean as part of the Trump administration’s quarantine on tankers visiting and departing Venezuela.

Bertha, which has also sailed under the name Martha S, was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury for its links to Shanghai Legendary Ship Management Company Ltd. The tanker is part of the Iranian shadow fleet, according to the U.S. Treasury. Veronica III, another tanker seized by the U.S. on Feb. 15, was also part of the Iranian shadow fleet.

“From the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean, we tracked it and stopped it. No other nation has the global reach, endurance, or will to enforce sanctions at this distance,” reads the Pentagon post on X.

Based on the video published by the Pentagon, the tanker appears to be fully laden.

MT Bertha as forces fast-rope from Navy MH-60S helicopters, shared by the Pentagon Feb. 24, 2026. Pentagon image

The video shows forces fast-rope from Navy MH-60S helicopters aboard Bertha, with the aircraft originating from a ship with a large helicopter deck that appears to be a U.S. Navy Expeditionary Strike Base. A Pentagon spokesperson referred USNI News to the White House for additional details on the operation when asked. Previous interdictions have had the Coast Guard’s Maritime Security Response Teams as the point units for ship seizures with support from U.S. Navy assets as part of a multi-agency law enforcement action.

Three tankers that allegedly fled from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean have been captured by the U.S.: Bertha, Veronica III and Aquila II.

Tanker Trackers, a site that follows blacklisted tankers, listed Bertha as also going by alias EKTA.

The Cook Islands and the U.S. have a shiprider agreement, which allows members of each country to ride on each other’s ships and enforce laws in their respective territorial waters. The two countries had an agreement in 2019 that allowed the U.S. to board ships sailing under a Cook Islands flag.

While the ship claimed a Cook Islands flag, Lloyds Seasearcher had the ship last registered under the Cooks Island flag from March 16, 2024, to Oct. 31, 2024.

Heather Mongilio and Sam LaGrone

Heather Mongilio and Sam LaGrone are USNI News staff writers