Satellite Data Reveals Initial Venezuelan Oil Ship Confiscated by US is Now Near Texas.
US personnel roped onto the deck of the tanker Skipper on December 10th.
Satellite imagery and vessel monitoring information has confirmed that the crude carrier named Skipper – the first vessel seized by the United States for allegedly carrying embargoed oil from Venezuela – is currently positioned near of Texas.
A satellite firm's satellite imagery dated 21 December shows the tanker is in the vicinity of Galveston, while Automatic Identification System ship-tracking data from a maritime data service presently places the Skipper about 50 miles from the coast.
The Skipper was seized by US authorities on 10 December and has been sanctioned by multiple governments. When it was seized, it was incorrectly flying the ensign of Guyana.
This seizure was succeeded by the capture of a second oil vessel, the Centuries. This ship – in contrast to the Skipper – was not yet under sanctions when it was taken into US custody.
American agencies are currently pursuing a third vessel, which has been named by the maritime risk group a risk firm as the Bella 1 tanker. President Donald Trump said yesterday that “we’ll end up getting it”.
Writing on the social media platform X, the maritime monitoring group noted the vessel Bella 1 has been “in transit for over a month” and, at an typical pace of 11 knots, may have “approximately a month of fuel remaining unless her velocity decreases”.
The monitoring service added the vessel is “likely heading in a southeasterly direction towards South Africa”.
