PANAMA CITY, Jan 8 - Panama's maritime authority on Thursday said it had canceled in January of last year the flag of the M Sophia, a Venezuela-linked oil tanker seized by the U.S. military this week. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

A ship’s flag determines who has authority over it. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

The United States said on Wednesday it had seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the North Atlantic and a second oil tanker in the Caribbean.  US officials said both of the vessels are part of a so-called shadow fleet that has carried oil for countries such as Venezuela, Russia and Iran in violation of US sanctions.