Imagery Data Shows First Venezuela-Linked Oil Ship Confiscated by US is Now Off Texas.
US agents boarding the vessel of the Skipper on December 10th.
Satellite imagery and vessel monitoring information has verified that the crude carrier named Skipper – the first vessel apprehended by the United States for allegedly transporting sanctioned oil from Venezuela – is now off the coast of the state of Texas.
Vantor satellite imagery dated 21 December indicates the tanker is near the port of Galveston, while AIS ship-tracking feeds from a maritime data service currently positions the vessel about 80km offshore.
The tanker Skipper was seized by American officials on the tenth of December and has been blacklisted by several governments. When it was intercepted, it was incorrectly sailing under the flag of the nation of Guyana.
This interception was succeeded by the capture of a second tanker, the Centuries. This ship – unlike the Skipper – was not under official restrictions when it was brought under US custody.
US authorities are now 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 maritime monitoring group said the Bella 1 has been “underway for over a month” and, at an average speed of 11 nautical miles per hour, may have “another 28 to 35 days of diesel left unless her speed decreases”.
The monitoring service added the tanker is “probably heading in a southeasterly direction towards South Africa”.
