Imagery Data Reveals First Venezuela-Linked Oil Ship Confiscated by American Authorities is Currently Off Texas.
US personnel roped onto the deck of the Skipper on December 10th.
Satellite imagery and vessel monitoring data has verified that the crude carrier Skipper – the first vessel apprehended by the US for allegedly carrying sanctioned oil from the Venezuelan regime – is now positioned near of Texas.
A satellite firm's satellite imagery dated 21 December shows the tanker is in the vicinity of Galveston, while AIS ship-tracking data from MarineTraffic currently positions the vessel about 80km offshore.
The Skipper was taken into custody by American officials on the tenth of December and has been sanctioned by several governments. When it was seized, it was falsely sailing under the ensign of the nation of Guyana.
This seizure was succeeded by the capture of a another tanker, the Centuries. It – in contrast to the Skipper – was not yet under official restrictions when it was taken into US custody.
American agencies are currently targeting a third vessel, which has been identified by the maritime risk group Vanguard as the Bella 1 tanker. President Donald Trump stated yesterday that “it will ultimately be secured”.
Writing on X, the maritime monitoring group noted the vessel Bella 1 has been “underway for 39 days” and, at an typical pace of 11 nautical miles per hour, may have “another 28 to 35 days of diesel left unless her speed drops”.
The monitoring service added the vessel is “probably traveling in a southeasterly direction towards South Africa”.
