Imagery Data Reveals Initial Venezuela-Linked Oil Ship Confiscated by American Authorities is Currently Near the Texas Coast.
US agents boarding the deck of the Skipper on December 10th.
Satellite imagery and vessel monitoring data has verified that the oil tanker Skipper – the initial vessel seized by the US for reportedly carrying sanctioned oil from Venezuela – is currently positioned near of Texas.
Vantor orbital photographs from 21 December shows the ship is in the vicinity of Galveston, while Automatic Identification System ship-tracking feeds from MarineTraffic currently places the Skipper about 80km offshore.
The Skipper was taken into custody by American officials on 10 December and has been sanctioned by several governments. At the time it was seized, it was incorrectly flying the ensign of Guyana.
This interception was succeeded by the interception of a second tanker, the Centuries. It – unlike the Skipper – was not yet under official restrictions when it was taken into American control.
American agencies are currently pursuing a third ship, which has been named by the maritime risk group a risk firm as the Bella 1 tanker. The US President said recently that “it will ultimately be secured”.
Writing on the social media platform X, the TankerTrackers group noted the vessel Bella 1 has been “in transit for 39 days” and, at an typical pace of 11 nautical miles per hour, may have “approximately a month of diesel remaining unless her speed drops”.
The group further stated the tanker is “likely heading in a southeasterly direction towards the South African coast”.
