PONCE, Puerto Rico/HOUSTON, Jan 21 - Two oil tankers seized this month by the U.S. in its campaign against Venezuela were near Puerto Rico on Wednesday, a Reuters witness and Tankertrackers.com data said, the first sightings almost since their capture and a possible hint at their destination.

The ships are supertanker M Sophia, seized by the U.S. on January 7 carrying Venezuelan oil, and the smaller tanker Galileo, formerly called Veronica and taken last week empty, although it has previously carried Venezuelan oil.

The M Sophia and Galileo are among seven vessels linked to Venezuelan oil exports captured by the U.S. military and Coast Guard in recent weeks, mostly in the Caribbean Sea.

U.S. officials have not disclosed destinations or plans for the seized vessels. The U.S. Coast Guard declined to comment, directing inquiries to the White House. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for a comment. 

Because the vessels' geolocating beacons have not been turned on, the locations of M Sophia and Galileo were unknown until the Tankertrackers.com and witness confirmation on Wednesday.

The vessels could remain in Puerto Rico or be moved to another U.S. port. The other five captured tankers are near the U.S. Gulf Coast, in Venezuelan waters and near Scotland, shipping data showed.

U.S. President Donald Trump has said the U.S. intervention — including the capture of President Nicolás Maduro on January 3 — is aimed at stopping drug trafficking.

Washington intends to direct Venezuela’s government and revive the country’s crippled oil sector by bringing major U.S. oil companies in to rebuild it.

Trump has imposed a blockade to prevent sanctioned tankers from shipping Venezuelan oil, which in December brought exports close to a standstill. Shipments have accelerated in January under U.S. supervision, but millions of barrels remain in onshore and floating storage.

The U.S. government has filed for court warrants to seize dozens more tankers linked...