Satellite Image Shows Initial Venezuelan Oil Ship Seized by American Authorities is Currently Near Texas.
US agents roped onto the vessel of the Skipper on 10 December.
Satellite imagery and ship tracking data has confirmed that the oil tanker Skipper – the first vessel seized by the US for reportedly carrying embargoed crude from Venezuela – is currently positioned near of the state of Texas.
Vantor satellite imagery from 21 December indicates the tanker is near the port of Galveston, while Automatic Identification System vessel-tracking feeds from MarineTraffic currently places the vessel about 80km from the coast.
The Skipper was taken into custody by US authorities on the tenth of December and has been blacklisted by multiple governments. When it was seized, it was falsely flying the flag of the nation of Guyana.
This interception was followed by the interception of a another oil vessel, the Centuries. It – in contrast to the Skipper – was not yet under sanctions when it was brought under American control.
American agencies are now pursuing a third such vessel, which has been identified by the risk management group Vanguard as the Bella 1. The US President said yesterday that “it will ultimately be secured”.
Writing on the social media platform X, the TankerTrackers group noted the 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 speed decreases”.
The group further stated the tanker is “likely heading in a southeasterly direction towards the South African coast”.
