Satellite Image Shows First Venezuelan Tanker Seized by American Authorities is Now Off Texas.
US agents roped onto the vessel of the Skipper on 10 December.
Orbital data and ship tracking data has confirmed that the crude carrier named Skipper – the first vessel seized by the United States for allegedly carrying sanctioned oil from Venezuela – is currently off the coast of Texas.
A satellite firm's satellite imagery dated 21 December indicates the ship is in the vicinity of the port of Galveston, while AIS vessel-tracking data from MarineTraffic presently places the vessel about 50 miles from the coast.
The Skipper was seized by US authorities on 10 December and has been blacklisted by several governments. At the time it was intercepted, it was incorrectly flying the ensign of Guyana.
This interception was succeeded by the interception of a second oil vessel, the Centuries tanker. This ship – in contrast to the first vessel – was not yet under official restrictions when it was taken into US custody.
American agencies are currently pursuing a third such vessel, which has been identified by the risk management group Vanguard as the Bella 1 tanker. The US President said yesterday that “it will ultimately be secured”.
Writing on X, the maritime monitoring group said the vessel Bella 1 has been “underway for over a month” and, at an typical pace of 11 knots, may have “another 28 to 35 days of fuel left unless her speed decreases”.
The group further stated the tanker is “probably traveling south-east towards South Africa”.
