Satellite Data Shows Initial Venezuela-Linked Oil Ship Confiscated by American Authorities is Now Near the Texas Coast.
American personnel roped onto the vessel of the tanker Skipper on 10 December.
Satellite imagery and ship tracking data has verified that the oil tanker named Skipper – the initial vessel seized by the US for allegedly carrying embargoed crude from the Venezuelan regime – is now positioned near of the state of Texas.
Vantor orbital photographs from 21 December indicates the ship is in the vicinity of the port of Galveston, while Automatic Identification System ship-tracking data from MarineTraffic currently positions the vessel about 50 miles offshore.
The Skipper was seized by US authorities on 10 December and has been sanctioned by several nations. When it was intercepted, it was incorrectly sailing under the flag of the nation of Guyana.
This interception was succeeded by the interception of a second oil vessel, the Centuries. This ship – in contrast to the first vessel – was not yet under official restrictions when it was taken into American control.
American agencies are now pursuing a third vessel, which has been identified by the risk management group Vanguard as the Bella 1. President Donald Trump stated yesterday that “we’ll end up getting it”.
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 nautical miles per hour, may have “approximately a month of diesel left unless her velocity drops”.
The monitoring service added the vessel is “likely heading south-east towards the South African coast”.
