Satellite Image Shows First Venezuela-Linked Tanker Confiscated by US is Now Near the Texas Coast.
US personnel roped onto the deck of the Skipper on 10 December.
Orbital data and ship tracking data has verified that the crude carrier Skipper – the first vessel seized by the United States for allegedly carrying sanctioned oil from the Venezuelan regime – is now positioned near of Texas.
Vantor orbital photographs from 21 December shows the tanker is near the port of Galveston, while AIS vessel-tracking feeds from MarineTraffic currently positions the vessel about 80km offshore.
The Skipper was taken into custody by American officials on 10 December and has been sanctioned by multiple governments. At the time it was seized, it was incorrectly flying the flag of the nation of Guyana.
This seizure was succeeded by the capture of a second tanker, the Centuries. It – in contrast to the Skipper – was not yet under official restrictions when it was brought under US custody.
US authorities are currently targeting a third such ship, which has been named by the risk management group a risk firm as the Bella 1. The US President said yesterday that “it will ultimately be secured”.
Writing on the social media platform X, the TankerTrackers group noted the Bella 1 has been “in transit for over a month” and, at an average speed of 11 nautical miles per hour, may have “another 28 to 35 days of fuel remaining unless her velocity decreases”.
The group further stated the tanker is “probably heading south-east towards South Africa”.
