Satellite Data Shows Initial Venezuelan Oil Ship Confiscated by American Authorities is Currently Near Texas.
American personnel roped onto the deck of the Skipper on 10 December.
Orbital data and vessel monitoring data has confirmed that the crude carrier Skipper – the first vessel seized by the US for allegedly transporting sanctioned oil from Venezuela – is currently positioned near of Texas.
A satellite firm's orbital photographs from 21 December shows the tanker is near the port of Galveston, while AIS ship-tracking feeds from a maritime data service presently positions the Skipper about 50 miles from the coast.
The Skipper was taken into custody by US authorities on the tenth of December and has been sanctioned by several governments. At the time it was seized, it was falsely flying the flag of Guyana.
This seizure was succeeded by the capture of a another tanker, the Centuries tanker. It – unlike the first vessel – was not under official restrictions when it was taken into US custody.
US authorities are currently targeting a third vessel, which has been identified by the maritime risk group Vanguard as the Bella 1. The US President stated yesterday that “we’ll end up getting it”.
Writing on the social media platform X, the maritime monitoring group noted the Bella 1 has been “underway for over a month” and, at an typical pace of 11 nautical miles per hour, may have “approximately a month of fuel left unless her velocity decreases”.
The group added the tanker is “likely traveling south-east towards the South African coast”.
