U.S. Marines in Caribbean Sea Conduct Maritime Interdiction Training as U.S. Pressure Grows on Shipping.

According to information published by the official X account of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit on December 31, 2025, U.S. Marines conducted maritime interdiction training while operating in the Caribbean Sea. The activity comes as U.S. forces expand enforcement actions against commercial shipping, particularly vessels linked to sanctions violations.

According to information released on December 31, 2025, by the official X account of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, U.S. Marines assigned to the Maritime Special Purpose Force of the 22nd MEU (Special Operations Capable) conducted advanced maritime interdiction operations training while underway in the Caribbean Sea. The exercise took place during the unit’s ongoing deployment with the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group, as U.S. military pressure increases on commercial shipping tied to sanctions enforcement and illicit oil transport.
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U.S. Marines assigned to the Maritime Special Purpose Force of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit conduct maritime interdiction training while underway in the Caribbean Sea, rehearsing ship boarding procedures from rigid-hulled inflatable boats. (Picture source: 22nd  MEU X account)

The 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (22nd MEU) is one of the U.S. Marine Corps’ standing forward-deployed crisis response formations, built around a reinforced infantry battalion landing team, a composite aviation combat element, a combat logistics battalion, and an integrated command element. Embarked aboard amphibious assault ships, the MEU is designed to project power from the sea and execute missions ranging from limited combat operations and maritime security enforcement to humanitarian assistance and non-combatant evacuation operations. Its current deployment in the Caribbean Sea places the unit at the center of U.S. Southern Command’s operational focus, where maritime interdiction, counter-narcotics enforcement, and protection of strategic energy routes increasingly overlap.

The Maritime Special Purpose Force, a tailored element within the MEU optimized for high-risk, politically sensitive missions, led the training evolution. During the exercise, MSPF Marines rehearsed complex visit, board, search, and seizure operations against simulated non-compliant vessels. Using rigid-hulled inflatable boats launched from amphibious platforms, boarding teams executed high-speed approaches, ship-to-ship transfers, ladder ascents, compartment clearing, detainee handling, and rapid seizure of key ship control points. The training emphasized command-and-control integration with U.S. Navy crews, maritime communications discipline, and escalation-of-force decision-making in congested sea lanes populated by civilian shipping.

This training directly reflects the operational demands faced by U.S. forces in recent weeks. In early to mid-December 2025, U.S. forces intercepted and seized multiple oil tankers off the coast of Venezuela as part of an expanded maritime enforcement campaign. One of the first major interdictions involved U.S. personnel boarding and taking control of the oil tanker Skipper, a vessel sanctioned for allegedly transporting Venezuelan crude oil linked to illicit financial and logistical networks. Shortly afterward, U.S. Coast Guard units, supported by Department of Defense personnel, intercepted and seized a second tanker, Centuries, in international waters of the Caribbean Sea after it departed Venezuelan ports.

These interdictions occurred amid a broader U.S. blockade targeting sanctioned oil shipments traveling to or from Venezuela. The actions were conducted under Operation Southern Spear, a campaign that has triggered one of the largest U.S. naval buildups in the Caribbean in decades. Forces reportedly involved include aircraft carriers, guided-missile destroyers, amphibious assault ships, and Coast Guard cutters operating in Venezuelan waters. Around December 17, 2025, the United States instituted what officials described as a naval quarantine of sanctioned oil tankers, aimed at choking off revenue streams Washington alleges are being used to finance criminal activity, including narcotics trafficking networks tied to Venezuelan and regional drug cartels.

The targeting of oil-carrying vessels represents a significant escalation beyond traditional U.S. counter-narcotics missions in the Caribbean. Analysts describe the current posture as a strategic shift toward using maritime interdiction and blockade measures as instruments of economic pressure and regional control. Oil tankers, due to their size, hazardous cargo, civilian crews, and legal sensitivity, present some of the most complex interdiction challenges at sea. Securing such vessels requires highly trained boarding forces capable of rapid dominance, evidence exploitation, and risk management in volatile environments.

Within this operational context, the 22nd MEU’s maritime interdiction training takes on heightened strategic significance. Defense officials familiar with expeditionary deployments told Army Recognition that recent tanker seizures have reinforced the need for forward-deployed Marine units to maintain constant readiness for ship intervention missions involving energy cargoes and cartel-linked maritime routes. The skills the Maritime Special Purpose Force practices closely mirror those required in real-world interdictions, underscoring a deliberate alignment between training and active enforcement operations.

The continued deployment of the 22nd MEU in the Caribbean Sea also carries a strong signaling component. By conducting visible, technically demanding interdiction training in the same waters where U.S. forces are actively seizing oil-carrying ships, Washington signals its intent to expand maritime enforcement authority and increase intervention capabilities across the region. This approach highlights the growing role of Marine expeditionary forces not only as combat units, but also as key instruments in enforcing sanctions, disrupting cartel-linked logistics, and asserting control over critical sea lines of communication.

As the deployment extends into 2026, the Maritime Special Purpose Force of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit is expected to conduct additional maritime security, interdiction, and boarding exercises, further strengthening U.S. readiness for sustained intervention operations. The training confirms that maritime interdiction is no longer a secondary task for deployed MEUs in the Caribbean, but a central mission aligned with broader U.S. strategic objectives in the Western Hemisphere.

Written by Alain Servaes – Chief Editor, Army Recognition Group
Alain Servaes is a former infantry non-commissioned officer and the founder of Army Recognition. With over 20 years in defense journalism, he provides expert analysis on military equipment, NATO operations, and the global defense industry.