Imagery Data Reveals Initial Venezuela-Linked Tanker Seized by US is Now Near the Texas Coast.
American agents boarding the deck of the tanker Skipper on 10 December.
Orbital data and vessel monitoring information has confirmed that the oil tanker named Skipper – the first vessel apprehended by the United States for reportedly carrying sanctioned crude from Venezuela – is currently positioned near of the state of Texas.
Vantor orbital photographs dated 21 December indicates the ship is near the port of Galveston, while AIS vessel-tracking data from a maritime data service currently positions the Skipper about 80km from the coast.
The Skipper was taken into custody by American officials on the tenth of December and has been blacklisted by several governments. When it was seized, it was incorrectly flying the flag of the nation of Guyana.
This seizure was followed 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 targeting a third such vessel, which has been named by the risk management group a risk firm as the Bella 1 tanker. The US President said yesterday that “we’ll end up getting it”.
Writing on the social media platform X, the maritime monitoring group noted the vessel Bella 1 has been “in transit for 39 days” and, at an typical pace of 11 knots, may have “another 28 to 35 days of diesel left unless her speed drops”.
The monitoring service added the vessel is “probably heading south-east towards South Africa”.
