JTF-WHEM sinks fourth, multi-vessel Los Choneros-linked 'floating refueling station' off Ecuador

On 5 September 2026, at the direction of SOUTHCOM, JTF-WHEM forces interdicted a multi-vessel floating refueling station — a main vessel with attached support vessels — supporting Los Choneros drug-trafficking operations in international waters of the Eastern Pacific. Forces from USS San Antonio again combined MH-60 Seahawk overwatch with rigid-hull inflatable boarding craft; individuals removed from the main vessel were transferred to Ecuadorian authorities, after which US forces sank the main vessel and its attached support vessels. It was the fourth such non-lethal refueling-station interdiction since 28 August and the third in a single week, with lethal strikes still paused since 25 August.