US to Return Seized Oil Tanker to Venezuela

The United States is preparing to hand over one of the oil tankers it seized earlier this month to Venezuela, according to two US officials speaking on condition of anonymity.

The officials said the Panama-flagged supertanker MT Sofia, which was seized from the Caribbean Sea on January 7, will be returned to Venezuela. Reuters reported that this is the first instance under the Trump administration in which a seized tanker is being handed back. The sources did not disclose the reasons behind the decision.

The US Coast Guard did not immediately comment on the matter. After the tanker was detained, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt described the vessel as a “stateless ship.” However, the following day, Panama’s Maritime Authority announced that Sofia had already been removed from the country’s national ship registry in January 2025.

It is worth noting that since December 2025, the United States has seized a total of seven oil tankers from the Caribbean and the North Atlantic Ocean.