JTF-WHEM sinks third Los Choneros-linked 'floating refueling station' off Ecuador

At the direction of SOUTHCOM Commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan and in coordination with the Government of Ecuador, Littoral Combat Force-24 launched from USS San Antonio (LPD-17) and interdicted a vessel operating as a floating refueling station for the Los Choneros narco-terrorist organization in international waters of the Eastern Pacific on 3 September 2026 — the third such non-lethal interdiction since 28 August and the second in 24 hours. An MH-60 Seahawk helicopter provided airborne tracking, FLIR surveillance and sniper overwatch while boarding teams in rigid-hull inflatable boats searched and cleared the vessel without incident; the individuals aboard were transferred to Ecuadorian authorities before US forces scuttled the vessel. No casualties were reported, extending the pause in lethal strikes that has held since JTF-WHEM's 25 August strike.