Satellite Image Reveals Initial Venezuelan Oil Ship Seized by American Authorities is Now Off the Texas Coast.
American agents boarding the deck of the Skipper on 10 December.
Orbital data and vessel monitoring data has confirmed that the crude carrier Skipper – the initial vessel seized by the United States for reportedly transporting embargoed oil from the Venezuelan regime – is currently positioned near of Texas.
Vantor orbital photographs from 21 December shows the ship is near Galveston, while AIS ship-tracking data from MarineTraffic currently places the Skipper about 80km from the coast.
The tanker Skipper was seized by American officials on the tenth of December and has been sanctioned by multiple nations. When it was intercepted, it was incorrectly flying the ensign of the nation of Guyana.
This seizure was followed by the interception of a another oil vessel, the Centuries tanker. It – unlike the Skipper – was not under sanctions when it was taken into American control.
US authorities are currently targeting a third such vessel, which has been identified by the risk management group a risk firm as the Bella 1 tanker. President Donald Trump stated yesterday that “it will ultimately be secured”.
Writing on X, the TankerTrackers group noted the vessel Bella 1 has been “underway for 39 days” and, at an typical pace of 11 nautical miles per hour, may have “approximately a month of fuel left unless her velocity decreases”.
The monitoring service further stated the vessel is “likely heading south-east towards the South African coast”.
