Satellite Image Reveals Initial Venezuela-Linked Tanker Seized by American Authorities is Now Off Texas.
American personnel roped onto the vessel of the tanker Skipper on 10 December.
Satellite imagery and vessel monitoring information has verified that the oil tanker named Skipper – the first vessel apprehended by the United States for allegedly transporting sanctioned oil from the Venezuelan regime – is currently off the coast of Texas.
A satellite firm's satellite imagery dated 21 December indicates the ship is in the vicinity of Galveston, while Automatic Identification System ship-tracking feeds from MarineTraffic presently positions the vessel about 50 miles offshore.
The Skipper was seized by US authorities on the tenth of December and has been blacklisted by several nations. When it was intercepted, it was falsely sailing under the flag of the nation of Guyana.
This seizure was succeeded by the capture of a second oil vessel, the Centuries. It – unlike the first vessel – was not yet under official restrictions when it was taken into American control.
US authorities are currently pursuing a third ship, which has been named by the risk management group Vanguard as the Bella 1. The US President said recently that “it will ultimately be secured”.
Writing on X, the maritime monitoring group noted the vessel Bella 1 has been “underway for 39 days” and, at an average speed of 11 knots, may have “another 28 to 35 days of diesel remaining unless her speed decreases”.
The monitoring service further stated the tanker is “probably traveling in a southeasterly direction towards the South African coast”.
