US Special Forces Ghost Ship Appeared Off The Coast Of "Lukashenko's Friend"

The MV Ocean Trader's low-profile design allows it to conduct specialty operations.

The United States Special Forces ghost ship MV Ocean Trader has been spotted off the coast of Venezuela. At the same time in Washington confirmed the fact that the ship MV Ocean Trader is indeed in the Caribbean. The vessel, which often sails without transmitting its location to civilian tracking systems, is designed to blend in with ordinary merchant ships to support covert operations, the Army recognition resource reported.

For the first time in 10 years, the US is building up its naval presence off the coast of Venezuela. Analysts and retired U.S. Navy officers emphasize that the U.S. military has a long history of using modified commercial vessels for covert special operations missions, and the Ocean Trader has often been mentioned in that context.

The MV Ocean Trader was launched in 2010 as the commercial ship MV Cragside. Three years later, Maersk Line was awarded a new $73 million contract to refit the ship for special operations. The ship is now capable of a speed of 20 knots, a range of 8,000 miles and an autonomy of 45 days, with a crew of 50 and the ability to accommodate 159 additional people.

The ship was also equipped with facilities for jet skis and Zodiac inflatables, aircraft and unmanned aircraft maintenance workshops, a diving bay for 60 Navy Special Operations Forces personnel, a 40-person information bay, a 20-person communications unit, sleeping quarters for 209 personnel and a medical-surgical unit to treat 10 wounded. Six 0.5-inch machine guns and external FLIR thermal imaging systems have been installed for close-in defense.

The ship is 193 meters long, 26 meters wide and has a displacement of 20,980 tons. The vessel maintains its commercial appearance with a white livery and minimal markings to blend in with the merchant fleet, an intentional design feature.

Observers note that the ship often sails without signaling an automatic identification system and does not show up in port control systems during visits such as the 2022 in Fremantle, Australia.

The U.S. Navy's buildup off the coast of Venezuela began in September, when U.S. forces took down three drug trafficking cartels at once. One of the operations was conducted in conjunction with the Dominican Republic.

Analysts emphasize that the MV Ocean Trader's low-profile design allows it to conduct special operations without drawing as much attention as a destroyer or landing ship. The deployment of this vessel adds a covert level of U.S. presence, complementing the overt deterrence provided by destroyers and Marines.

Blending conventional naval forces with specialized covert platforms, the U.S. has created a flexible and scalable force grouping in the Caribbean that can adapt to both official regime enforcement missions and as a form of pressure on the Maduro government.

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