Imagery Image Reveals Initial Venezuela-Linked Tanker Confiscated by American Authorities is Currently Near Texas.
US agents roped onto the deck of the tanker Skipper on 10 December.
Orbital data and ship tracking data has verified that the oil tanker named Skipper – the first vessel seized by the United States for allegedly transporting embargoed crude from Venezuela – is currently positioned near of the state 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 ship-tracking data from a maritime data service presently places the vessel about 50 miles offshore.
The tanker Skipper was taken into custody by American officials on the tenth of December and has been sanctioned by several governments. At the time it was intercepted, it was falsely sailing under the flag of Guyana.
This seizure was succeeded by the capture of a second oil vessel, the Centuries tanker. This ship – unlike the Skipper – was not yet under official restrictions when it was brought under American control.
American agencies are currently targeting a third such vessel, which has been identified by the risk management group Vanguard as the Bella 1. President Donald Trump stated recently that “we’ll end up getting it”.
Writing on X, the TankerTrackers group noted the vessel Bella 1 has been “in transit for 39 days” and, at an average speed of 11 nautical miles per hour, may have “another 28 to 35 days of diesel left unless her speed decreases”.
The monitoring service further stated the tanker is “probably traveling south-east towards South Africa”.