Media: US returning seized tanker to Venezuela

The United States is returning a tanker to Venezuela that it seized earlier this month, marking the first time President Donald Trump’s administration has handed back such a vessel, Reuters reports.

The Panama‑flagged supertanker M/T Sophia was intercepted by the US Coast Guard and military on January 7.

The US has carried out a months‑long effort to seize oil tankers linked to Venezuela, with seven apprehensions since late last year.

Officials, speaking anonymously, did not explain why the Sophia was being returned. The Coast Guard, which leads these operations, did not immediately comment.

At the time of its seizure, the administration described the Sophia, which was under sanctions, as a “stateless, sanctioned dark fleet motor tanker.”

Trump has focused his Latin American policy on Venezuela, initially attempting to remove President Nicolás Maduro from power. After diplomatic efforts failed, he authorised a daring overnight raid on January 3 to capture Maduro and his wife.

Since then, Trump has indicated that the US plans to maintain long‑term control over Venezuela’s oil resources, aiming to rebuild the country’s struggling oil industry in a $100 billion scheme.

By Aghakazim Guliyev