A Venezuelan oil tanker carrying approximately 500,000 barrels of crude has returned to port after departing without authorization, following a request from interim leader Delcy Rodríguez for U.S. military assistance—the first publicly acknowledged instance of such direct cooperation between Washington and Caracas since the January 3, 2026, U.S. capture of former President Nicolás Maduro.
The vessel, identified as the Olina (also known as Minerva M, IMO 9282479), left an eastern Venezuelan port late last weekend amid the power vacuum and chaos immediately following Maduro’s removal. According to satellite tracking and sources close to the government cited by The New York Times, the tanker sailed without clearance from port authorities or payment to state oil company Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA).
On January 9, a joint U.S. Coast Guard and Navy boarding team intercepted the ship in international waters in the Caribbean Sea and compelled its return to Venezuela. PDVSA confirmed in a public statement the same day that the tanker had “launched without payment, nor the authorization of Venezuelan authorities,” and credited U.S. government assistance for securing its safe return. President Donald Trump publicly corroborated this account on January 9, stating the departure occurred “without our approval” and that the return was coordinated at Rodríguez’s request.
The crude cargo was linked to a company controlled by Colombian businessman Alex Saab, a political rival to Rodríguez within Venezuela’s fragmented ruling circles. Saab, who has been a dominant figure in Venezuela’s oil export trade (particularly to China), was indicted by the United States in 2019 for conspiracy to commit money laundering in a scheme that allegedly siphoned approximately $350 million through fraudulent import documents and bribes to exploit Venezuela’s controlled exchange rate. After extradition from Cabo Verde in 2021 and two years in U.S. custody, Saab was released in a December 2023 prisoner swap.
People familiar with internal dynamics told The New York Times that Rodríguez and Saab represent rival factions: Rodríguez and her brother Jorge Rodríguez control key economic levers and the legislature, while Saab’s influence historically derived from his close relationship with Maduro and Maduro’s wife, Cilia Flores (captured alongside Maduro in the January 3 operation and now facing charges in New York). The tanker incident is viewed by some observers as part of Rodríguez’s broader effort to reassert control over PDVSA revenues and sideline competing interests in the post-Maduro transition.
The operation stands out against a backdrop of recent U.S. pressure on Venezuela’s oil sector, including Trump’s ongoing “oil quarantine” campaign that has targeted multiple Venezuela-linked tankers in recent weeks. Trump has described Rodríguez as a cooperative partner, noting frequent communications with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and has expressed interest in greater U.S. involvement in Venezuelan oil production.
This unusual U.S.-Venezuela collaboration highlights the rapidly evolving political landscape in Caracas, where Rodríguez is navigating domestic power struggles while seeking international legitimacy and support from the Trump administration.
