Imagery Data Reveals Initial Venezuela-Linked Tanker Seized by US is Currently Off Texas.
US agents roped onto the deck of the Skipper on December 10th.
Satellite imagery and vessel monitoring information has confirmed that the oil tanker named Skipper – the first vessel seized by the US for reportedly carrying embargoed crude from Venezuela – is now positioned near of Texas.
A satellite firm's satellite imagery from 21 December indicates the ship is in the vicinity of the port of Galveston, while AIS ship-tracking feeds from MarineTraffic currently places the vessel about 50 miles offshore.
The tanker Skipper was taken into custody by US authorities on the tenth of December and has been blacklisted by multiple governments. When it was seized, it was falsely flying the flag of the nation of Guyana.
This seizure was succeeded by the interception of a second oil vessel, the Centuries. It – unlike the first vessel – was not under sanctions when it was taken into US custody.
American agencies are currently pursuing 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 “we’ll end up getting it”.
Writing on the social media platform X, the maritime monitoring group noted the vessel Bella 1 has been “underway for over a month” and, at an typical pace 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 in a southeasterly direction towards South Africa”.
