Satellite Image Reveals Initial Venezuela-Linked Oil Ship Confiscated by US is Currently Near Texas.
US agents roped onto the deck of the Skipper on 10 December.
Orbital data and vessel monitoring data has confirmed that the crude carrier named Skipper – the first vessel seized by the United States for allegedly carrying embargoed oil from Venezuela – is currently positioned near of the state of Texas.
Vantor satellite imagery dated 21 December indicates the ship is in the vicinity of Galveston, while Automatic Identification System vessel-tracking data from MarineTraffic currently positions the Skipper about 50 miles offshore.
The tanker Skipper was taken into custody by US authorities on the tenth of December and has been sanctioned by several nations. At the time it was seized, it was falsely flying the ensign of Guyana.
This seizure was succeeded by the interception of a second tanker, the Centuries tanker. It – unlike the first vessel – was not under official restrictions when it was taken into US custody.
American agencies are currently pursuing a third such ship, which has been identified by the maritime risk group Vanguard as the Bella 1 tanker. President Donald Trump said recently that “it will ultimately be secured”.
Writing on X, the maritime monitoring group said the vessel Bella 1 has been “in transit for 39 days” and, at an average speed of 11 knots, may have “approximately a month of fuel remaining unless her velocity drops”.
The monitoring service further stated the vessel is “probably heading south-east towards South Africa”.
