Imagery Data Shows First Venezuelan Tanker Confiscated by American Authorities is Now Near the Texas Coast.
American agents boarding the vessel of the Skipper on 10 December.
Orbital data and ship tracking information has verified that the oil tanker named Skipper – the first vessel seized by the United States for reportedly carrying sanctioned crude from the Venezuelan regime – is now positioned near of Texas.
Vantor satellite imagery from 21 December shows the tanker is near Galveston, while AIS vessel-tracking feeds from a maritime data service currently positions the Skipper about 80km from the coast.
The Skipper was taken into custody by US authorities on the tenth of December and has been blacklisted by multiple nations. At the time it was intercepted, it was incorrectly sailing under the ensign of Guyana.
This seizure was succeeded by the interception of a second oil vessel, the Centuries. This ship – unlike the Skipper – was not under sanctions when it was brought under US custody.
US authorities are currently targeting a third ship, which has been named by the risk management group a risk firm as the Bella 1 tanker. The US President stated yesterday that “it will ultimately be secured”.
Writing on X, the TankerTrackers group noted the vessel Bella 1 has been “in transit for over a month” and, at an average speed of 11 nautical miles per hour, may have “approximately a month of fuel remaining unless her speed decreases”.
The group further stated the tanker is “likely heading south-east towards South Africa”.
