Satellite Image Shows Initial Venezuelan Oil Ship Confiscated by American Authorities is Now Off Texas.
American personnel roped onto the vessel of the tanker Skipper on December 10th.
Satellite imagery and vessel monitoring information has confirmed that the crude carrier Skipper – the initial vessel apprehended by the United States for allegedly carrying sanctioned oil from Venezuela – is currently positioned near of Texas.
A satellite firm's orbital photographs from 21 December shows the ship is in the vicinity of Galveston, while AIS ship-tracking feeds from MarineTraffic currently places the vessel about 80km from the coast.
The Skipper was seized by American officials on 10 December and has been sanctioned by multiple governments. At the time it was intercepted, it was falsely sailing under the ensign of the nation of Guyana.
This seizure was succeeded by the interception of a second oil vessel, the Centuries tanker. It – unlike the Skipper – was not under official restrictions when it was brought under US custody.
US authorities are now targeting a third vessel, which has been identified by the risk management group a risk firm as the Bella 1. President Donald Trump stated yesterday 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 typical pace of 11 nautical miles per hour, may have “another 28 to 35 days of diesel left unless her velocity decreases”.
The monitoring service further stated the tanker is “probably heading south-east towards the South African coast”.
