Four tankers that left Venezuela have returned to its waters

At least four oil tankers that left Venezuela in early January in "dark mode" – i.e., without their transponders turned on – are back in Venezuelan waters, according to the monitoring service TankerTrackers.com.

This is in response to the strict US embargo imposed by President Donald Trump, which has significantly reduced Venezuelan oil exports. One of the ships, the M Sophia, was detained by US authorities, while another, the Olina, was released back to Venezuela.

According to sources, the US and Caracas are currently preparing to resume organized oil exports worth $2 billion. This week, Washington issued licenses to Vitol and Trafigura to trade in Venezuelan oil, with deliveries of diesel also expected.

(reuters, mja)