Imagery Data Shows First Venezuelan Oil Ship Seized by American Authorities is Currently Off the Texas Coast.
American personnel boarding the vessel of the tanker Skipper on December 10th.
Satellite imagery and ship tracking data has verified that the oil tanker named Skipper – the first vessel apprehended by the United States for allegedly transporting embargoed oil from Venezuela – is currently off the coast of the state of Texas.
A satellite firm's satellite imagery from 21 December indicates the ship is in the vicinity of Galveston, while AIS ship-tracking data from a maritime data service presently places the Skipper about 50 miles offshore.
The tanker Skipper was seized by US authorities on 10 December and has been sanctioned by several nations. At the time it was seized, it was falsely flying the flag of Guyana.
This seizure was followed by the capture of a second oil vessel, the Centuries. It – unlike the Skipper – was not under sanctions when it was brought under US custody.
US authorities are currently targeting a third ship, which has been named by the maritime risk group Vanguard as the Bella 1. President Donald Trump said yesterday that “it will ultimately be secured”.
Writing on X, the maritime monitoring group said the Bella 1 has been “underway for 39 days” and, at an average speed of 11 nautical miles per hour, may have “approximately a month of diesel left unless her speed decreases”.
The group added the tanker is “probably traveling in a southeasterly direction towards South Africa”.
