Satellite Image Reveals Initial Venezuela-Linked Oil Ship Confiscated by American Authorities is Currently Off Texas.
US personnel boarding the deck of the Skipper on 10 December.
Satellite imagery and ship tracking data has verified that the oil tanker named Skipper – the first vessel seized by the US for reportedly transporting embargoed oil from the Venezuelan regime – is now positioned near of the state of Texas.
Vantor orbital photographs from 21 December shows the ship is near Galveston, while AIS ship-tracking data from a maritime data service presently positions the Skipper about 80km offshore.
The Skipper was taken into custody by US authorities on the tenth of December and has been sanctioned by multiple governments. At the time it was seized, it was incorrectly sailing under the flag of the nation of Guyana.
This seizure was succeeded by the capture of a second tanker, the Centuries tanker. It – in contrast to the first vessel – was not under sanctions when it was brought under US custody.
American agencies are now pursuing a third such ship, which has been identified by the maritime risk group a risk firm as the Bella 1 tanker. President Donald Trump said yesterday that “it will ultimately be secured”.
Writing on X, the TankerTrackers group said the Bella 1 has been “in transit for 39 days” and, at an typical pace of 11 nautical miles per hour, may have “approximately a month of diesel left unless her velocity drops”.
The group further stated the vessel is “likely heading south-east towards the South African coast”.
