Satellite Data Reveals First Venezuela-Linked Tanker Seized by American Authorities is Now Near Texas.
US personnel roped onto the deck of the tanker Skipper on 10 December.
Orbital data and ship tracking information has verified that the oil tanker named Skipper – the first vessel seized by the US for allegedly carrying embargoed oil from the Venezuelan regime – is now off the coast of the state of Texas.
Vantor satellite imagery from 21 December indicates the ship is in the vicinity of Galveston, while Automatic Identification System ship-tracking feeds from a maritime data service presently places the vessel about 50 miles offshore.
The tanker Skipper was seized by US authorities on 10 December and has been blacklisted by multiple governments. At the time it was seized, it was incorrectly flying the flag of Guyana.
This seizure was followed by the capture of a second oil vessel, the Centuries. This ship – in contrast to the first vessel – was not yet under sanctions when it was taken into US custody.
US authorities are now targeting a third vessel, which has been named by the risk management group a risk firm as the Bella 1. The US President said recently that “we’ll end up getting it”.
Writing on X, the TankerTrackers group noted the vessel Bella 1 has been “in transit for over a month” and, at an average speed of 11 knots, may have “approximately a month of fuel remaining unless her velocity decreases”.
The monitoring service further stated the vessel is “likely heading south-east towards the South African coast”.