People walk in front of a crude oil tanker at Lake Maracaibo on January 12, 2026 in Maracaibo, Venezuela. After a U.S. raid ousted Nicolás Maduro as Venezuela’s leader, the people hope that subsequent negotiations on oil sales to the United States will improve their dire economic fortunes. (Photo by Margioni BERMÚDEZ/AFP via Getty Images)
Margioni Bermudez | AFP | Getty Images
The United States will hand over to Venezuela a tanker it seized this month, two U.S. officials told Reuters on Wednesday.
The United States has been conducting a months-long effort to seize oil tankers linked to Venezuela, carrying out seven seizures since late last year.
Officials said on condition of anonymity that the vessel handed over to Venezuelan authorities was the Panamanian-flagged supertanker M/T Sofia. It did not say why the tanker was returned.
The U.S. Coast Guard, which is leading the interdiction and seizure operation, did not respond to requests for comment.
Venezuela’s Communications Ministry, which handles all media inquiries for the government, did not respond to requests for comment.
The Sophia was carrying oil when it was intercepted by the Coast Guard and the U.S. military on January 7. At the time, the administration said the sanctioned Sofia was a “stateless, licensed black fleet motor tanker.”
One of the sources did not know whether the Sofia still had oil on board.
President Trump has focused his foreign policy in Latin America on Venezuela, initially aiming to oust Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from power. After failing to find a diplomatic solution, President Trump ordered U.S. troops to fly into the country on January 3 in a daring nighttime raid to capture him and his wife.
Since then, President Trump has said the United States plans to take control of Venezuela’s oil resources indefinitely in a $100 billion plan to rebuild the country’s aging oil industry.
Earlier this month, the Sofia and another tanker were seen seized near Puerto Rico.
Experts say that, like most tankers under Western sanctions and parts of the so-called shadow fleet, many of the seized Venezuelan-linked tankers are more than 20 years old and lack safety certifications and proper insurance, making them dangerous to transport.
This means it is extremely difficult or impossible to establish insurance claims and liability in the event of a collision or oil spill, shipping and insurance industry officials say.
Dubai-run GMS has applied for U.S. permission to buy and dispose of ships seized by the U.S. government in connection with Venezuelan oil deals.
