Two oil tankers seized this month by the United States as part of its campaign against Venezuela were spotted near Puerto Rico on Wednesday, according to a Reuters witness and vessel-tracking data from Tankertrackers.com. The sightings marked the first confirmed locations of the ships since their seizure and may indicate where they are being taken. The vessels are the supertanker M Sophia, seized on January 7 while transporting Venezuelan crude, and the smaller tanker Galileo, formerly known as Veronica, which was intercepted last week while empty, though it had previously carried Venezuelan oil. Both ships are among seven tankers linked to Venezuelan oil exports that have been captured in recent weeks by the U.S. military and Coast Guard, primarily in the Caribbean Sea. U.S. officials have not disclosed the intended destinations or future plans for the seized vessels. The U.S. Coast Guard declined to comment, referring inquiries to the White House, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Because the ships’ geolocation transponders were turned off, the whereabouts of M Sophia and Galileo remained unknown until Wednesday’s confirmation by witnesses and Tankertrackers.com. The vessels could remain near Puerto Rico or be transferred to another U.S. port. Shipping data showed the other five seized tankers located near the U.S. Gulf Coast, in Venezuelan waters, and near Scotland. U.S. President Donald Trump has said the intervention — which included the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on January 3 — is intended to halt drug trafficking. Washington has also said it plans to restructure Venezuela’s government and revive the country’s crippled oil industry by bringing in major U.S. oil companies to help rebuild the sector. Trump imposed a naval blockade to prevent sanctioned vessels from exporting Venezuelan oil, pushing shipments close to a standstill in December. Exports have picked up in January under U.S. oversight, though millions of barrels of oil remain stored onshore and aboard vessels. According to sources cited by Reuters last week, the U.S. government has sought court warrants to seize dozens more tankers linked to Venezuela’s oil trade. Earlier this week, another vessel, Sagitta, was intercepted. Experts say many of the Venezuela-linked tankers — like much of the so-called “shadow fleet” operating under Western sanctions — are more than 20 years old and lack proper safety certification and insurance coverage. This creates serious risks for maritime navigation and makes it difficult, if not impossible, to establish liability or insurance claims in the event of a collision or oil spill. The age of the vessels, which exceeds the industry norm of 15 years, has also raised concerns about potential environmental damage. Meanwhile, U.S. civil forfeiture cases related to the seizures could take months or even years to resolve, leaving no immediate solution to the challenges posed by the detained ships. “These ‘dark fleet’ tankers can be extremely dangerous,” said David Tannenbaum, a director at consulting firm Blackstone Compliance Services. “They are old, their crews operate in unsafe conditions, they lack proper classification surveys, and they are often backed by fake insurance or no insurance at all.