Imagery Image Reveals Initial Venezuela-Linked Oil Ship Confiscated by American Authorities is Currently Near Texas.
US personnel roped onto the deck of the tanker Skipper on 10 December.
Orbital data and vessel monitoring information has verified that the oil tanker named Skipper – the initial vessel apprehended by the US for allegedly carrying sanctioned oil from Venezuela – is now positioned near of the state of Texas.
Vantor orbital photographs from 21 December indicates the ship is near the port of Galveston, while AIS ship-tracking feeds from a maritime data service currently positions the Skipper about 80km from the coast.
The tanker Skipper was taken into custody by US authorities on 10 December and has been blacklisted by several nations. When it was seized, it was falsely sailing under the ensign of Guyana.
This seizure was followed by the interception of a second oil vessel, the Centuries tanker. This ship – unlike the first vessel – was not under official restrictions when it was brought under American control.
US authorities are currently pursuing a third such ship, which has been identified by the risk management group a risk firm as the Bella 1 tanker. President Donald Trump stated yesterday that “we’ll end up getting it”.
Writing on X, the maritime monitoring group noted the Bella 1 has been “in transit for 39 days” and, at an average speed of 11 nautical miles per hour, may have “approximately a month of fuel remaining unless her velocity drops”.
The monitoring service further stated the vessel is “probably heading south-east towards South Africa”.
