How the US ‘ghost ship’ seen near Venezuela operates

In addition to visual camouflage, the ship operates with a stealth tracking profile. According to the specialized website Army Recognition, the Ocean Trader often navigates without transmitting its position in civil systems such as the AIS (Automatic Identification System).

This makes it difficult to locate and allows it to move almost invisibly. In practice, its route and presence are only discovered when images are leaked or when rival governments observe suspicious movements. Searching for the name of the vessel on the official United States Navy page does not bring up any results.

Among its capabilities, the following stand out:

1. Operation of up to 200 military personnel on board
2. 193 meters long, 26 meters wide
3. Speed ​​above 37 km/h
4. Hangars, weapons lockers and sensitive communications systems
5. Launch and recovery of speedboats and drones

Why are you in the Caribbean now?

In 2025, Ocean Trader returned to operating in the Caribbean during a period considered critical by the US. Washington claims that the naval movement, which includes the deployment of the world’s largest aircraft carrier and fighter jets, is part of anti-drug operations.