Satellite Data Shows First Venezuelan Tanker Confiscated by American Authorities is Currently Near Texas.
US personnel roped onto the deck of the tanker Skipper on December 10th.
Satellite imagery and ship tracking information has verified that the crude carrier Skipper – the initial vessel seized by the United States for allegedly transporting sanctioned oil from the Venezuelan regime – is now off the coast of Texas.
A satellite firm's orbital photographs dated 21 December indicates the ship is near the port of Galveston, while AIS vessel-tracking feeds from MarineTraffic currently positions the Skipper about 80km offshore.
The tanker Skipper was seized by American officials on the tenth of December and has been sanctioned by multiple nations. At the time it was seized, it was incorrectly flying the flag of the nation of Guyana.
This seizure was succeeded by the capture of a second tanker, the Centuries tanker. This ship – in contrast to the first vessel – was not under sanctions when it was taken into US custody.
American agencies are currently targeting a third such vessel, which has been identified by the risk management group Vanguard as the Bella 1. The US President stated recently that “it will ultimately be secured”.
Writing on X, the maritime monitoring group said the vessel Bella 1 has been “underway 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 velocity drops”.
The group added the vessel is “probably traveling in a southeasterly direction towards the South African coast”.
