Satellite Image Reveals First Venezuela-Linked Oil Ship Confiscated by American Authorities is Now Off the Texas Coast.
American personnel roped onto the deck of the tanker Skipper on 10 December.
Satellite imagery and vessel monitoring information has verified that the crude carrier named Skipper – the initial vessel seized by the US for allegedly transporting sanctioned oil from Venezuela – is now off the coast of Texas.
Vantor orbital photographs from 21 December indicates the tanker is near Galveston, while Automatic Identification System vessel-tracking data from a maritime data service currently places the Skipper about 50 miles offshore.
The Skipper was taken into custody by US authorities on the tenth of December and has been sanctioned by several governments. When it was intercepted, it was incorrectly sailing under the flag of the nation of Guyana.
This seizure was followed by the interception of a second tanker, the Centuries tanker. This ship – in contrast to the first vessel – was not yet under sanctions when it was brought under American control.
US authorities are currently pursuing a third such ship, which has been identified by the maritime risk 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 TankerTrackers group said the vessel Bella 1 has been “in transit for over a month” and, at an average speed of 11 nautical miles per hour, may have “another 28 to 35 days of diesel remaining unless her speed decreases”.
The group further stated the tanker is “probably traveling south-east towards South Africa”.
