“In keeping with established bilateral cooperation, the ministry has granted approvals for United States military aircraft to transit Trinidad and Tobago’s airports in the coming weeks,” Monday’s release stated.
Archiv: (fiktive oder tatsächliche) Kaperungen / Piraterie (Schifffahrt) / (fictitious or real) piracy / seizures (maritime )
Trump declares ‚Venezuelan regime‘ a foreign terrorist organization, orders oil tanker blockade
President Donald Trump on Tuesday ordered a total blockade of oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela, declaring the Nicolás Maduro regime a foreign terrorist organization and accusing it of using stolen U.S. assets to finance terrorism, trafficking and other criminal activity.
„Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America,“ Trump said on Truth Social. „It will only get bigger, and the shock to them will be like nothing they have ever seen before – Until such time as they return to the United States of America all of the Oil, Land, and other Assets that they previously stole from us.
Behind the Seized Venezuelan Tanker, Cuba’s Secret Lifeline
(December 12, 2025)
President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela and his predecessor, Hugo Chávez, have for decades sent oil to Cuba at highly subsidized prices, providing a crucial resource at low cost to the impoverished island.
In return, the Cuban government over the years has sent tens of thousands of medics, sports instructors and, increasingly, security professionals on assignments to Venezuela. That exchange has assumed special importance as Mr. Maduro has leaned on Cuban bodyguards and counterintelligence officers to protect himself against the U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean
Maduro: The crew members of the oil tanker are missing
„They committed a criminal and illegal act when they carried out a military assault, kidnapping, and robbery—like pirates of the Caribbean—of a merchant, commercial, civilian, private vessel. A ship of peace, which was attacked almost upon reaching the Atlantic, not off the coast of Venezuela. It was further north, beyond Trinidad and Tobago, towards the island of Grenada.“
Regarding the crew, he said, „As I speak to you now, the crew of that ship, which was carrying 1.900.000 barrels of oil to international markets—oil that was paid for in Venezuela, because everyone who extracts oil pays for it first—are being held captive, they‘ve disappeared, nobody knows where they are. The crew was kidnapped. The ship was stolen, and a new era has begun: that of criminal naval piracy in the Caribbean.“
Exclusive: US preparing to seize more tankers off Venezuela‘s coast after first ship taken, sources say
The U.S. is preparing to intercept more ships transporting Venezuelan oil following the seizure of a tanker this week, as it increases pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, six sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday.
The seizure was the first interdiction of an oil cargo or tanker from Venezuela, which has been under U.S. sanctions since 2019. It came as the U.S. executes a large-scale military buildup in the southern Caribbean and as U.S. President Donald Trump pushes for Maduro‘s ouster.
Security experts reject PM’s claim that unflagged vessels can be attacked
(December 10, 2025)
Former director of the National Coastal Surveillance Radar Centre and National Transformation Alliance (NTA) political leader, retired Coast Guard commander Norman Dindial, said that the Prime Minister’s claim is legally unsound. He said flagless vessels are classified as stateless, not pirates, and cannot be considered lawful targets.
His comments follow renewed questions about the September 2 strike near Trinidad and Tobago’s waters, now under scrutiny for allegedly killing two survivors in a second hit. Speaking outside Parliament on Tuesday, Persad-Bissessar said the incident “had little to do with Trinidad and Tobago” and suggested the unregistered vessel may have been viewed as carrying pirates. Dindial dismissed that interpretation.
PM on US ‘double tap’ strike: Unflagged vessel treated as pirate ship
(December 10, 2025)
Asked Sunday about the “double tap” strike, Persad-Bissessar had asked for more time to research the matter.
Asked again yesterday outside the Parliament, the Prime Minister said, “I don’t see how it applies to me or what it has to do with me or Trinidad and Tobago. The United States is a sovereign nation and they are free to exercise their sovereignty in manners that they see or deem fit. I cannot be judge and jury here to determine whether they are right or whether they are wrong. Those are not within our jurisdiction or my remit.”
But Persad-Bissessar maintained that any vessel sailing without a national flag risks being classified as a pirate ship and, as such, would not be entitled to the same protections afforded to legitimate maritime vessels.
US seizes oil tanker off Venezuelan coast
President Trump did not offer any detailed explanation for the move, saying only that the vessel was seized “for very good reason.” Asked what would happen to the oil the tanker was transporting, Trump said, “We keep it, I guess.”
The seizure occurred in international waters, a senior US official said, and proceeded without incident or casualties either among the US personnel or the tanker’s crew.
The ship, which was headed to Cuba, was ultimately destined for Asia after being brokered through Cuban sellers, the senior official said, adding that additional seizures are possible in the coming weeks as the US applies pressure on Maduro.
Israeli Military Attacks Flotilla in International Waters
8 October 2025 – The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) and Thousand Madleens to Gaza (TMTG) confirm that three boat : Gaza Sunbirds, Alaa Al-Najajr, Anas Al-Sharif, have been attacked and illegally intercepted by the Israeli military at 04:34 at 120 nautical miles (220km) from Gaza.
Sources so far indicate that the unarmed crew aboard, including doctors, journalists, and elected officials, have been abducted, as well as the vital aid worth over $110,000 USD in medicines, respiratory equipment, and nutritional supplies that were destined for Gaza’s starving hospitals. Their whereabouts remain unknown.
“Israel has no legal authority to detain international volunteers aboard these ships,” David Heap, Canadian Boat to Gaza and Freedom Flotilla Coalition Steering Committee. “This seizure blatantly violates international law and defies the ICJ’s binding orders requiring unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza. Our volunteers are not subject to Israeli jurisdiction and cannot be criminalized for delivering aid or challenging an illegal blockade. Their detention is arbitrary, unlawful, and must end immediately.”
Israel intercepts Freedom Flotilla Coalition vessels en route to Gaza
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) says the Israeli military attacked its convoy of boats and intercepted several vessels as they were sailing towards Gaza.
The FFC said the military had attacked The Conscience – a boat carrying 93 journalists, doctors and activists – before it attacked and intercepted three smaller boats on Wednesday.
Its passengers were “being held in unknown conditions”, it said.
Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed on X that a raid on the flotilla had taken place.
ISRAEL‘S CRIMES AGAINST THE GLOBAL SUMUD FLOTILLA HUMANITARIAN ACTIVISTS
The List of Crimes Committed by Israel:
1.Illegal Interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla. Violation of customary norms of international law as accepted under Articles 19, 88 and 301 of UNCLOS, which requires that states respect the peaceful and safe passage of vessels. Israel does not have the right to intercept civilian vessels according to UNCLOS Article 110 with none of the exceptions under Article 110 (a) – (e) having been engaged.
2. Abduction and arbitrary arrest of participants. Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights: Prohibition of arbitrary arrests. The activists were not combatants or a military threat. The activists are legitimate citizens participating in a humanitarian mission, neither are they irregular migrants attempting to enter Israel territory contrary to Israeli immigrations laws.
3. Forced transfer to prisons in Israel. Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention: Prohibition of the transfer of civilians from occupied territory. This rule extends to the protection of persons arrested at sea in the context of an armed conflict.
4. Physical violence and inhuman treatment by the use of water cannons against peaceful civilians on high sea contrary to Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions: Prohibition of violence against civilians. Article 5: Prohibition of torture and cruel treatment.
5. Defaming peaceful citizens is a form of illegal stigmatization. Insults, Defamation, and the Slanderous Labeling of „Terrorists“: Right to Dignity (Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Art. 1).
6. Unlawful processing of activists as „illegal immigrants“ before the Immigration Authority, court hearings without the presence of lawyers, and coercion into signing a document stating that the participants entered Israel illegally: Violation of the right to a fair trial, liberty, and Security under Article 9 and 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
7. Repeated drone attacks by Israel against the Flotilla. Act of aggression against the flag and citizen states, including the illegal use of force, and as a war crime under Article 8 of the Rome statute and violation of 2(4) of the UN Charter as well as infringement of the human rights of the people onboard.
8. Attack of the Vessels and seizure thereof. On the High Seas, the law applying on each ship is the domestic law of its flag state. An attack by an Israeli military warship on a vessel on the High Seas is an attack and infringement of the sovereignty of the flag state. These acts of illegal possession of vessels or abduction of crew on the High Seas can be pursued by each flag state and constitutes a crime within their domestic jurisdiction.
9. Forcibly intercepting and seizing a civilian vessel carrying humanitarian aid for the population of Gaza. Clear reflection of Israel’s unlawful starvation policy, which is prohibited under international humanitarian law and listed as a war crime under Article 8(2)(b)(xxv) of the Rome Statute. The Israeli blockade over Gaza is unlawful in light of Paragraph 102 of the San Remo Manual, which stipulates the illegality of a blockade if it ‘has the sole purpose of starving the civilian population or denying it other objects essential for its survival’. Israel’s unlawful blockade has been condemned numerous times by the UN bodies and experts, most recently by the UN Commission of Inquiry in August 2025 which concluded that Isreal has committed genocide in Gaza, including by depriving the Palestinian group of objects indispensable for their survival.
Moment IDF soldiers board Gaza aid flotilla vessels
(October 2, 2025)
The Global Sumud Flotilla reported that more than 200 activists were onboard the 20 boats intercepted by the Israeli military as of Thursday morning.
Joint Statement on the Global Sumud Flotilla bound for Gaza
The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, Ireland, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mexico, Pakistan, Qatar, Oman, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain and Türkiye express their concern about the security of the Global Sumud Flotilla, a civil society initiative in which citizens of their countries are participating.
The Global Sumud Flotilla has informed about its objective of delivering humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and raising awareness about the urgent humanitarian needs of the Palestinian people and the need to stop the war in Gaza. Both objectives, peace and humanitarian aid delivery, together with the respect of international law, including humanitarian law, are shared by our governments.
We therefore call on everyone to refrain from any unlawful or violent act against the Flotilla, to respect international law and international humanitarian law.
We recall that any violation of international law and human rights of the participants in the Flotilla, including attacks against the vessels in international waters or illegal detention, will lead to accountability.
Sixteen nations warn Israel not to attack Global Sumud Flotilla
The foreign ministers of 16 countries have voiced concern for the safety of the Global Sumud Flotilla, a civil society initiative attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip through sea vessels.
In a joint statement on Tuesday, the governments of Turkey, Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, Ireland, Libya, Malaysia, the Maldives, Mexico, Pakistan, Qatar, Oman, Slovenia, South Africa and Spain have all confirmed that their citizens are onboard the mission.
Israeli Military Attacks Handala in International Waters
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition confirms that its civilian vessel Handala, en route to break Israel’s illegal, genocidal blockade on Palestinians in Gaza, has been violently intercepted by the Israeli military in international waters about forty nautical miles from Gaza. At 11:43 Palestine time the Occupation cut the cameras on board Handala and we have lost all communication with our ship.
Israeli Military Attacks Madleen in International Waters — Weeks After Bombing of Conscience
Catania, Sicily, Italy- The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) confirms that its civilian ship, Madleen, carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza, has been attacked/forcibly intercepted by the Israeli military at 3:02 am CET in international waters at 31.95236° N, 32.38880° E. The ship was unlawfully boarded, its unarmed civilian crew abducted, and its life-saving cargo—including baby formula, food and medical supplies—confiscated.
Military ends rescue search for Navy SEALs lost in maritime raid on ship with Iranian weapons
According to officials, the Jan. 11 raid targeted an unflagged ship carrying illicit Iranian-made weapons to the Houthi rebels in Yemen. Officials have said that as the team was boarding the ship, one of the SEALs went under in the heavy seas, and a teammate went in to try and save him.
(…)
The U.S. Navy ultimately sunk the ship carrying the weapons after deeming it unsafe, Central Command said. The ship’s 14 crew were detained.
Sie wissen von der Bundeswehr-Beteiligung an der Kriegsflotte im Persischen Golf, oder?
(3. August 2021)
24. Juni 2019: Der damalige U.S.-Außenminister Mike Pompeo fordert eine „globale Koalition“ gegen den Iran. passenderweise vorgetragen bei einem Blitzbesuch Pompeos in Saudi-Arabien.
4. August 2019: Ich lege mich fest und prognostiziere, dass „Bundeswehr-Marine .. noch vor Weihnachten unter Oberbefehl einer ausländischen Macht in den Persischen Golf entsandt“ wird.
(…)
20. Januar 2020: Monate vor der Ausrufung des bis heute andauernden Ausnahmezustands und bereits im Windschatten von SARS II („Coronavirus“), beschließen die Staatsführungen von Frankreich, Deutschland, Griechenland, Italien, der Niederlande, Belgien, Dänemark und Portugal in einer gemeinsamen Erklärung die „European-led maritime surveillance mission in the Strait of Hormuz“ (E.M.A.S.O.H.), von der Sie und 80 Millionen Andere bis heute nie gehört haben.
3,000 more U.S. troops to the Persian Gulf: New conflict coming against Iran?
(August 18, 2023)
Even going by U.S. numbers, it is hard to see how the “seizure or attempted takeover of nearly 20 ships” over the course of two years constitutes an emergency. That is an average of less than one a month. Additionally, as Iran’s Navy has pointed out, some of the “seizures” have been cases of the Iranian Navy responding to distress signals from the commercial ships. None of these cases have involved fatalities or serious consequences of any sort.
The Iranian Navy asserting its will to board a few commercial ships and inspecting their cargo has, at least in part, been in reaction to the U.S. confiscation of ships carrying Iranian oil. The latest example of that was in April when the U.S. Navy seized and then confiscated the cargo of Suez Rajan, a Marshal Islands-flagged oil tanker, carrying Iranian oil to China.
A tanker believed to hold sanctioned Iran oil starts offloading near Texas despite Tehran‘s threats
(August 20, 2023)
Iran has been trying to evade sanctions and continue selling its oil abroad, while the U.S. and its allies have been seizing cargoes since 2019 after the country’s nuclear deal allowing the trade collapsed.
Piraten des Potomac: US-Regierung lässt Tanker mit iranischem Öl im Wert von 56 Millionen US-Dollar entführen und in Texas entladen
Mutmaßlich auf Befehl der US-Regierung wurde am Wochenende ein Tanker mit iranischem Öl im Golf von Mexiko beschlagnahmt. Laut vorliegenden Schiffsverfolgungsdaten wird die Ladung im Wert von weit über 50 Millionen US-Dollar derzeit in der Nähe von Houston (Texas) entladen. Der US-Senat will den Erlös der Kaperung „den Opfern von 9/11“ zukommen lassen. Stützen kann er sich dabei auf ein skandalträchtiges Urteil eines New Yorker Gerichtes, welches mit einer abenteuerlichen Begründung den Iran im März 2016 zu einer zweistelligen Milliardensumme Schadenersatz wegen der Anschläge vom 11. September 2001 verurteilt hatte.
Moment Iranian drones and speedboats swarm two US warships with 4,000 troops on board during tense clash in the Persian Gulf
Iranian media outlets claimed that the confrontation forced helicopters to land back on the Americans ships.
The ships, a helicopter carrier and a support vessel that were carrying more than 4,000 American troops between them, were sent to the Gulf in response to Iran‘s continued threats of seizing commercial ships in the region.
U.S. moves to put Marines on commercial ships to stop Iranian seizures
The effort has not yet received final approval, but it has buy-in from senior Biden administration officials and could commence as soon as this month, said one official, …
“We have a cohort on the ground,” the official said. He added that the “policy decision has pretty much been made.”
US military may put armed troops on commercial ships in Strait of Hormuz to stop Iran seizures
The U.S. military is considering putting armed personnel on commercial ships traveling through the Strait of Hormuz, in what would be an unheard of action aimed at stopping Iran from seizing and harassing civilian vessels, American officials told The Associated Press on Thursday.
Since 2019, Iran has seized a series of ships in the strait, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, as part of its efforts to pressure the West over negotiations regarding its collapsed nuclear deal with world powers.
Sie wissen von der Bundeswehr-Beteiligung an der Kriegsflotte im Persischen Golf, oder?
(3. August 2021)
24. Juni 2019: Der damalige U.S.-Außenminister Mike Pompeo fordert eine „globale Koalition“ gegen den Iran. passenderweise vorgetragen bei einem Blitzbesuch Pompeos in Saudi-Arabien.
4. August 2019: Ich lege mich fest und prognostiziere, dass „Bundeswehr-Marine .. noch vor Weihnachten unter Oberbefehl einer ausländischen Macht in den Persischen Golf entsandt“ wird.
(…)
20. Januar 2020: Monate vor der Ausrufung des bis heute andauernden Ausnahmezustands und bereits im Windschatten von SARS II („Coronavirus“), beschließen die Staatsführungen von Frankreich, Deutschland, Griechenland, Italien, der Niederlande, Belgien, Dänemark und Portugal in einer gemeinsamen Erklärung die „European-led maritime surveillance mission in the Strait of Hormuz“ (E.M.A.S.O.H.), von der Sie und 80 Millionen Andere bis heute nie gehört haben.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard runs drill on disputed islands as US military presence in region grows
Iran did not provide a reason for launching the drill, though such snap exercises have happened in the past.
Analysis: Buildup of American forces in Persian Gulf a new signal of worsening US-Iran conflict
Thousands of Marines backed by advanced U.S. fighter jets and warships are slowly building up a presence in the Persian Gulf. It’s a sign that while America’s wars in the region may be finished, its conflict with Iran over its advancing nuclear program continues to worsen, with no solutions in sight.
The dispatch of the troop-and-aircraft-carrying USS Bataan to the Gulf, alongside stealth F-35 fighters and other warplanes, comes as America wants to focus on China and Russia.
In sign of increased tensions with Iran, US forces build up presence in Persian Gulf
Washington has sent ships, planes and marines to boost security around Strait of Hormuz, where Tehran has resumed harassing and seizing ships trying to pass through vital waterway
Russia to inspect ships in Black Sea if necessary — MFA
Russia wants ships in the Black Sea to be inspected to make sure they are not being used to carry weapons, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin told a briefing on Friday.
Speaking about the statement of the Russian Ministry of Defense that Moscow will consider all ships that go to Ukrainian ports along the Black Sea as carriers of military cargo, Vershinin said: „What is meant there is that we must make sure of this, we must check if a ship is carrying something bad.“
Sie wissen von der Bundeswehr-Beteiligung an der Kriegsflotte im Persischen Golf, oder?
(3. August 2021)
24. Juni 2019: Der damalige U.S.-Außenminister Mike Pompeo fordert eine „globale Koalition“ gegen den Iran. passenderweise vorgetragen bei einem Blitzbesuch Pompeos in Saudi-Arabien.
4. August 2019: Ich lege mich fest und prognostiziere, dass „Bundeswehr-Marine .. noch vor Weihnachten unter Oberbefehl einer ausländischen Macht in den Persischen Golf entsandt“ wird.
(…)
20. Januar 2020: Monate vor der Ausrufung des bis heute andauernden Ausnahmezustands und bereits im Windschatten von SARS II („Coronavirus“), beschließen die Staatsführungen von Frankreich, Deutschland, Griechenland, Italien, der Niederlande, Belgien, Dänemark und Portugal in einer gemeinsamen Erklärung die „European-led maritime surveillance mission in the Strait of Hormuz“ (E.M.A.S.O.H.), von der Sie und 80 Millionen Andere bis heute nie gehört haben.