Imagery Image Reveals Initial Venezuela-Linked Tanker Confiscated by American Authorities is Currently Near the Texas Coast.
US agents boarding the deck of the Skipper on 10 December.
Orbital data and ship tracking data has verified that the oil tanker Skipper – the first vessel seized by the US for allegedly carrying embargoed crude from the Venezuelan regime – is currently positioned near of Texas.
Vantor satellite imagery from 21 December indicates the ship is in the vicinity of Galveston, while AIS vessel-tracking feeds from a maritime data service currently positions the vessel about 80km from the coast.
The tanker Skipper was seized by American officials on the tenth of December and has been blacklisted by multiple nations. At the time it was intercepted, it was incorrectly sailing under the flag of the nation of Guyana.
This seizure was followed by the capture of a second oil vessel, the Centuries. This ship – in contrast to the first vessel – was not yet under official restrictions when it was brought under American control.
American agencies are currently targeting a third such ship, which has been named by the risk management group a risk firm as the Bella 1 tanker. The US President said recently that “we’ll end up getting it”.
Writing on the social media platform X, the maritime monitoring group noted the vessel Bella 1 has been “in transit for 39 days” and, at an average speed of 11 nautical miles per hour, may have “another 28 to 35 days of diesel left unless her speed drops”.
The group further stated the vessel is “likely heading in a southeasterly direction towards South Africa”.
