Imagery Data Reveals First Venezuela-Linked Oil Ship Seized by US is Currently Near the Texas Coast.
US agents roped onto the vessel of the tanker Skipper on December 10th.
Satellite imagery and ship tracking information has verified that the oil tanker Skipper – the initial vessel seized by the United States for reportedly transporting sanctioned oil from the Venezuelan regime – is currently off the coast of the state of Texas.
A satellite firm's satellite imagery from 21 December shows the ship is in the vicinity of the port of Galveston, while Automatic Identification System ship-tracking data from MarineTraffic currently positions the Skipper about 80km offshore.
The tanker Skipper was seized by American officials on the tenth of December and has been sanctioned by several nations. At the time it was seized, it was falsely flying the ensign of the nation of Guyana.
This seizure was followed by the capture of a second tanker, the Centuries tanker. This ship – in contrast to the Skipper – was not yet under sanctions when it was brought under US custody.
US authorities are now targeting a third such ship, which has been named by the maritime risk group a risk firm as the Bella 1 tanker. The US President stated yesterday that “it will ultimately be secured”.
Writing on X, the TankerTrackers group noted the Bella 1 has been “in transit for 39 days” and, at an typical pace of 11 knots, may have “approximately a month of diesel left unless her speed drops”.
The group added the vessel is “likely traveling in a southeasterly direction towards the South African coast”.
