"US forces were seen boarding another tanker, the 'Veronica', in the Caribbean on Thursday. Footage released by US Southern Command includes troops using a rope to land on deck from a helicopter. It stated: "In another pre-dawn action, Marines and Sailors from Joint Task Force Southern Spear, in support of the Department of Homeland Security, launched from USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) and apprehended Motor/Tanker Veronica without incident." "The Veronica is the latest tanker operating in defiance of President Trump’s established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean, proving the effectiveness of Operation Southern Spear yet again," it claimed. It follows similar operations to seize the Timor Leste-flagged oil tanker Olina in the Caribbean on Friday and two tankers earlier that week; the 'Sophia' east of the Caribbean Sea and another which it described as the 'Bella One' between Scotland and Iceland. The latter was reported to be the 'Marinera', which the Russian Ministry of Transport confirmed had "received a temporary permit to sail under the state flag of the Russian Federation". The Russian Foreign Ministry condemned the taking of the Marinera as 'illegal' saying the capture of a 'civilian vessel' and crew was a 'gross violation' of maritime law. It added that the US 'repeatedly received reliable information' about Russian ownership of the tanker and its civilian status. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that President Donald Trump had released two Russians from the crew on Friday. "