Venezuelan Tank Landing Ship Runs Aground, Takes on Water

Bystander photos on Venezuelan social media suggest that one of the country's few naval vessels has gone aground, and it appears to be taking on water.

The vessel in question is the tank landing ship ARV Capana, identified visually by its pennant number (T-61). It appears to be grounded near Cumarebo, about 175 miles to the northwest of Caracas. It appears to be settling lower in the water than its Plimsoll mark would recommend, based on photos from the scene.

Capana had been operating as part of an exercise to prepare to defend against an American invasion of Venezuela, according to the Venezuelan military's social media accounts.

It is not the first time that Venezuela's military has lost valuable and scarce vessel assets in routine operations. Previous peacetime casualties include the Venezuelan Coast Guard patrol boat Naiguata (GC-23), which collided with cruise ship RCGS Resolute in 2020 and went down; and Warao (PC-22), which grounded off Brazil in 2012.

The Venezuelan military is attempting to prepare for a serious confrontation. The Trump administration has assembled a sizeable task force of U.S. Navy warships, Air Force fighters, U.S. special forces units and U.S. Marines in the Caribbean, all aimed at applying pressure to the regime of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro. President Trump has also openly confirmed that he has authorized secret CIA missions inside of Venezuela, and the Pentagon has green-lighted half a dozen lethal attacks on suspected drug-smuggling boats off Venezuela's coast.