Satellite Data Reveals Initial Venezuelan Tanker Seized by US is Currently Near the Texas Coast.
American agents 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 seized by the US for allegedly carrying sanctioned oil from Venezuela – is currently positioned near of Texas.
A satellite firm's orbital photographs dated 21 December shows the tanker is near Galveston, while AIS vessel-tracking feeds from MarineTraffic currently places the Skipper about 50 miles offshore.
The tanker Skipper was seized by US authorities on the tenth of December and has been sanctioned by several governments. When it was seized, it was incorrectly flying the ensign 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 sanctions when it was brought under US custody.
US authorities are currently pursuing a third such ship, which has been identified by the maritime risk group a risk firm as the Bella 1. President Donald Trump said recently that “it will ultimately be secured”.
Writing on the social media platform X, the maritime monitoring group noted the Bella 1 has been “in transit for over a month” and, at an typical pace of 11 nautical miles per hour, may have “another 28 to 35 days of fuel left unless her speed decreases”.
The monitoring service further stated the vessel is “probably traveling south-east towards South Africa”.
