Imagery Image Reveals Initial Venezuelan Oil Ship Seized by American Authorities is Currently Off Texas.
US agents roped onto the vessel of the Skipper on 10 December.
Orbital data and vessel monitoring information has confirmed that the oil tanker Skipper – the initial vessel apprehended by the United States for reportedly transporting sanctioned oil from the Venezuelan regime – is now off the coast of the state of Texas.
Vantor satellite imagery dated 21 December shows the ship is in the vicinity of the port of Galveston, while Automatic Identification System ship-tracking feeds from MarineTraffic currently positions the vessel about 80km from the coast.
The tanker Skipper was seized by US authorities on the tenth of December and has been blacklisted by multiple governments. When it was seized, it was falsely flying the flag of Guyana.
This seizure was followed by the interception of a second oil vessel, the Centuries tanker. It – in contrast to the Skipper – was not yet under sanctions when it was brought under US custody.
US authorities are currently targeting a third vessel, which has been identified by the risk management group Vanguard as the Bella 1 tanker. President Donald Trump said yesterday 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 39 days” and, at an average speed of 11 nautical miles per hour, may have “another 28 to 35 days of diesel remaining unless her speed decreases”.
The monitoring service further stated the vessel is “likely traveling south-east towards South Africa”.
