Imagery Data Shows Initial Venezuela-Linked Oil Ship Confiscated by American Authorities is Now Off the Texas Coast.
American agents boarding the deck of the tanker Skipper on December 10th.
Satellite imagery and ship tracking data has verified that the oil tanker named Skipper – the first vessel seized by the United States for allegedly transporting embargoed oil from Venezuela – is currently positioned near of Texas.
Vantor orbital photographs dated 21 December shows the ship is in the vicinity of Galveston, while AIS ship-tracking feeds from a maritime data service presently places the vessel about 50 miles offshore.
The tanker Skipper was seized by US authorities on 10 December and has been sanctioned by several governments. When it was intercepted, it was incorrectly sailing under the ensign of Guyana.
This interception was followed by the interception of a another tanker, the Centuries. This ship – in contrast to the first vessel – was not yet under official restrictions when it was brought under US custody.
US authorities are currently targeting a third ship, which has been identified by the maritime risk group a risk firm as the Bella 1. The US President said yesterday that “it will ultimately be secured”.
Writing on the social media platform X, the TankerTrackers group said the Bella 1 has been “underway for over a month” and, at an average speed of 11 knots, may have “another 28 to 35 days of diesel left unless her velocity decreases”.
The monitoring service added the tanker is “likely traveling south-east towards the South African coast”.
