Satellite Image Shows First Venezuela-Linked Tanker Seized by US is Now Off Texas.
American personnel roped onto the vessel of the tanker Skipper on December 10th.
Satellite imagery and ship tracking data has verified that the crude carrier Skipper – the first vessel seized by the United States for allegedly carrying embargoed oil from the Venezuelan regime – is currently off the coast of Texas.
Vantor orbital photographs dated 21 December shows the ship is near Galveston, while AIS ship-tracking feeds from a maritime data service currently positions the Skipper about 80km from the coast.
The Skipper was taken into custody by American officials on 10 December and has been blacklisted by several governments. At the time it was intercepted, it was incorrectly sailing under the ensign of the nation of Guyana.
This seizure was succeeded by the interception of a another oil vessel, the Centuries. This ship – in contrast to the Skipper – was not yet under sanctions when it was taken into US custody.
US authorities are now pursuing a third such ship, which has been named by the risk management group Vanguard as the Bella 1. The US President stated yesterday that “it will ultimately be secured”.
Writing on X, the maritime monitoring group noted the vessel Bella 1 has been “underway for over a month” and, at an average speed of 11 knots, may have “approximately a month of diesel remaining unless her speed decreases”.
The monitoring service added the vessel is “likely heading in a southeasterly direction towards South Africa”.
