The US previously intercepted seven tankers belonging to Venezuela.
According to Reuters, two senior US officials confirmed that American authorities have returned a tanker seized in early January to Venezuela. This incident marks the first case of a tanker being returned by the administration of President Donald Trump.
The tanker is named M/T Sophia and is registered under the Panamanian flag. Officials did not disclose the reasons for its return.
The Sophia tanker was intercepted on January 7 by the US Coast Guard and military forces. According to the administration, the tanker is under sanctions, has no state affiliation, and is part of the so-called "shadow fleet."
Since late 2025, the US has seized seven tankers linked to Venezuela, the agency reports.
The process of seizing Venezuelan tankers began on December 10, 2025. At that time, President Trump announced the detention of a large-tonnage tanker carrying oil off the coast of Venezuela. According to media reports, this referred to the vessel Skipper, which was placed on US sanctions lists in 2022 for involvement in smuggling Iranian oil.
On December 17, 2025, Trump officially announced a maritime oil blockade against Venezuela.
At the end of December, a second tanker—Centuries—was detained, after which American forces began pursuing the tanker Bella 1, which was also sailing under the Panamanian flag. It later emerged that Bella 1 had been renamed and registered in the Russian Maritime Register. The New York Times reported that the Russian government sent a diplomatic note to the US demanding an end to the pursuit of this tanker.
After the detention of Bella 1, American forces continued operations against vessels linked to sanctioned oil from Caracas.
In early January 2026, the tanker Marinera was seized, which changed its Panamanian flag to a Russian one and left Venezuelan waters with Russians on board. On January 8, the Russian Foreign Ministry condemned the "illegal use of force" and called for an end to the pursuit of the vessel.
The Sophia tanker was also intercepted in the Caribbean Sea; however, details of this incident were not disclosed.
It should be noted that on January 3, 2026, the US conducted an operation called "Absolute Resolve," during which strikes were carried out on facilities in Caracas, including military bases and airports. As a result of the operation, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were captured directly in their residence at Fort Tiuna.
Maduro and Flores were brought to the US, where they were charged with "narcoterrorism," possession of weapons, and smuggling.
As a result, Delcy Rodríguez, the Vice President of Venezuela, took an oath as interim president.
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