Satellite Image Shows First Venezuelan Oil Ship Seized by American Authorities is Currently Near the Texas Coast.
US personnel boarding the vessel of the tanker Skipper on December 10th.
Orbital data and vessel monitoring data has confirmed that the crude carrier Skipper – the first vessel apprehended by the United States for reportedly carrying sanctioned oil from Venezuela – is now positioned near of Texas.
A satellite firm's satellite imagery from 21 December shows the tanker is near the port of Galveston, while AIS ship-tracking feeds from a maritime data service currently positions the vessel about 50 miles from the coast.
The Skipper was seized by American officials on the tenth of December and has been sanctioned by multiple governments. At the time it was seized, it was incorrectly flying the ensign of the nation of Guyana.
This seizure was followed by the interception of a another oil vessel, the Centuries. It – unlike the Skipper – was not under official restrictions when it was brought under US custody.
American agencies are now targeting a third such ship, which has been named by the risk management group Vanguard as the Bella 1. President Donald Trump stated recently that “we’ll end up getting it”.
Writing on X, the TankerTrackers group noted the Bella 1 has been “underway for over a month” and, at an typical pace of 11 nautical miles per hour, may have “approximately a month of fuel left unless her velocity decreases”.
The group added the tanker is “likely traveling south-east towards the South African coast”.
