United States hands over seized supertanker M/T Sophia to Venezuelan authorities in first known return under Trump administration

The US USgovernment is currently handing over the Panama PA-flagged supertanker M/T Sophia to Venezuelan VEauthorities after seizing the vessel earlier this month. Two officials from the United Statestold Reuters on Wednesday that the tanker is being handed to the authorities in Venezuela. This development represents the first known instance where the administration of President Donald Trump donald trumphas returned such a seized tanker.

The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, confirmed that the tanker being handed over was the Panama-flagged M/T Sophia. While the officials confirmed the transfer, they did not say why the tanker was returned. The United Stateshad taken control of the vessel during an operation earlier this month, but the specific reasons behind the shift in disposition remain undisclosed by the administration.