Imagery Image Reveals First Venezuela-Linked Oil Ship Confiscated by American Authorities is Now Off Texas.
American personnel roped onto the deck of the Skipper on 10 December.
Satellite imagery and vessel monitoring information has confirmed that the oil tanker named Skipper – the first vessel apprehended by the United States for reportedly transporting embargoed crude from the Venezuelan regime – is currently positioned near of Texas.
A satellite firm's orbital photographs from 21 December shows the tanker is near the port of Galveston, while AIS vessel-tracking data from a maritime data service currently places the vessel about 50 miles offshore.
The Skipper was taken into custody by American officials on the tenth of December and has been sanctioned by several governments. When it was seized, it was falsely sailing under the flag of the nation of Guyana.
This seizure was followed by the interception of a second oil vessel, the Centuries tanker. It – unlike the Skipper – was not yet under sanctions when it was brought under American control.
American agencies are currently targeting a third such vessel, which has been identified by the risk management group Vanguard as the Bella 1 tanker. The US President stated yesterday that “it will ultimately be secured”.
Writing on X, the TankerTrackers group said the Bella 1 has been “in transit for 39 days” and, at an typical pace of 11 nautical miles per hour, may have “another 28 to 35 days of diesel remaining unless her speed decreases”.
The monitoring service added the tanker is “likely heading south-east towards the South African coast”.
