Satellite Data Reveals Initial Venezuelan Oil Ship Seized by American Authorities is Now Off Texas.
American agents roped onto the deck of the Skipper on 10 December.
Satellite imagery and ship tracking information has verified that the crude carrier named Skipper – the first vessel seized by the US for reportedly carrying sanctioned crude from the Venezuelan regime – is now off the coast of the state of Texas.
Vantor orbital photographs dated 21 December indicates the tanker is near the port of Galveston, while AIS ship-tracking data from a maritime data service presently positions the Skipper about 80km offshore.
The tanker Skipper was seized by US authorities on the tenth of December and has been blacklisted by multiple governments. At the time it was intercepted, it was falsely flying the ensign of the nation of Guyana.
This interception was followed by the interception of a second oil vessel, the Centuries. This ship – in contrast to the Skipper – was not yet under sanctions when it was taken into American control.
US authorities are now pursuing a third ship, which has been identified by the risk management group a risk firm as the Bella 1 tanker. The US President said yesterday that “we’ll end up getting it”.
Writing on X, the TankerTrackers group noted the vessel Bella 1 has been “in transit 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 further stated the vessel is “likely traveling south-east towards the South African coast”.
