U.S. forces captured three boats, including the Bertha, between 11:15 AM and 2:15 PM UTC on February 24, 2026, in the INDOPACOM area of responsibility after they ran a quarantine of sanctioned vessels established by President Trump in the Caribbean. Overnight, troops conducted a right-of-visit, maritime interdiction, and boarding of the Bertha without incident as it attempted to evade in international waters. The Department of War stated that the vessels were tracked from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean and all three have now been captured. "From the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean, we tracked it and stopped it," the Department posted on X. No other nation has the global reach, endurance, or will to enforce sanctions at this distance, according to the statement. The interdiction underscores that international waters are not a refuge for sanctioned actors, with U.S. forces committed to denying illicit actors and their proxies freedom of maneuver in the maritime domain by land, air, or sea. "Our forces will find you and deliver justice," the Department of War affirmed in its X post at an unspecified time within the reporting window.
