Imagery Image Reveals First Venezuelan Tanker Confiscated by US is Now Off Texas.
American agents roped onto the vessel of the tanker Skipper on December 10th.
Satellite imagery and vessel monitoring information has confirmed that the oil tanker named Skipper – the first vessel seized by the United States for reportedly carrying sanctioned crude from the Venezuelan regime – is currently positioned near of the state of Texas.
A satellite firm's satellite imagery dated 21 December indicates the ship is in the vicinity of the port of Galveston, while Automatic Identification System ship-tracking data from MarineTraffic currently positions the Skipper about 80km offshore.
The Skipper was seized by American officials on 10 December and has been blacklisted by multiple governments. When it was intercepted, it was falsely sailing under the flag of the nation of Guyana.
This seizure was succeeded by the interception of a second oil vessel, the Centuries. This ship – unlike the Skipper – was not under official restrictions when it was taken into American control.
US authorities are currently pursuing a third such vessel, which has been named by the risk management group Vanguard as the Bella 1. 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 left unless her velocity drops”.
The group added the vessel is “likely traveling south-east towards South Africa”.
