By Micah Jonah
January 10, 2026
U.S. and Venezuelan authorities announced a coordinated operation to return the oil tanker Minerva to Venezuelan territorial waters after the vessel set sail without payment or official permission from Caracas, Venezuela’s state-owned oil company PDVSA said in a statement.
The tanker, now sailing back under Venezuelan control, was part of a broader campaign by U.S. forces to interdict ships linked to sanctioned Venezuelan crude exports.
Minerva identified in U.S. maritime records under the name Olina, previously sanctioned for transporting embargoed oil was seized in international waters, east of the Caribbean Sea by U.S. Coast Guard and military personnel as part of these operations.
Venezuelan officials described the move as a successful first joint action with Washington, with the vessel returning for safekeeping and administrative measures.
U.S. authorities have been escalating interdictions of so-called “dark fleet” tankers that they say have been carrying Venezuelan crude in violation of sanctions, pressing Caracas to comply with oversight and control mechanisms agreed between the interim Venezuelan government and U.S. forces.
The announcement marks a notable turn in cooperation between the two countries, who have been engaged in complex and often adversarial dealings over oil exports and sanctions enforcement.
Caracas said the Minerva sailed without authorization or payment to Venezuelan authorities, and its return was intended to reinforce legal control over the nation’s energy resources.
The broader U.S. campaign has seen multiple tankers intercepted in recent weeks, amid Washington’s efforts to assert control over Venezuela’s crude sales and distribution, a strategy linked to geopolitical tensions and economic leverage in the region.
