Imagery Image Shows First Venezuela-Linked Oil Ship Confiscated by American Authorities is Currently Near Texas.
American agents roped onto the deck of the Skipper on 10 December.
Orbital data and ship tracking information has verified that the crude carrier named Skipper – the initial vessel apprehended by the United States for reportedly carrying sanctioned oil from the Venezuelan regime – is now positioned near of the state of Texas.
Vantor satellite imagery dated 21 December indicates the ship is near Galveston, while Automatic Identification System ship-tracking feeds from a maritime data service presently places the vessel about 50 miles from the coast.
The Skipper was seized by American officials on 10 December and has been sanctioned by multiple governments. When it was intercepted, it was falsely sailing under the ensign of the nation of Guyana.
This interception was followed by the interception of a another tanker, the Centuries. It – unlike the Skipper – was not under sanctions when it was taken into US custody.
American agencies are now targeting a third ship, which has been identified by the maritime risk group Vanguard as the Bella 1. The US President said yesterday that “it will ultimately be secured”.
Writing on X, the maritime monitoring group said the 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 left unless her speed drops”.
The monitoring service further stated the tanker is “probably traveling in a southeasterly direction towards South Africa”.
