Satellite Image Shows First Venezuela-Linked 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 verified that the oil tanker named Skipper – the initial vessel apprehended by the US for reportedly transporting embargoed crude from Venezuela – is currently off the coast of Texas.
Vantor satellite imagery dated 21 December indicates the ship is near the port of Galveston, while AIS vessel-tracking feeds from MarineTraffic presently positions 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 several governments. At the time it was intercepted, it was incorrectly sailing under the flag of Guyana.
This seizure was succeeded by the interception of a another tanker, the Centuries tanker. It – unlike the first vessel – was not under official restrictions when it was brought under US custody.
US authorities are currently pursuing a third such vessel, which has been identified by the maritime risk group a risk firm as the Bella 1 tanker. The US President said recently that “it will ultimately be secured”.
Writing on the social media platform X, the TankerTrackers group said 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 fuel remaining unless her speed decreases”.
The monitoring service further stated the tanker is “likely heading in a southeasterly direction towards the South African coast”.
