Imagery Image Shows First Venezuela-Linked Oil Ship Confiscated by US is Now Near Texas.
American personnel roped onto the deck of the tanker Skipper on 10 December.
Orbital data and vessel monitoring information has confirmed that the oil tanker Skipper – the first vessel seized by the US for reportedly carrying embargoed oil from the Venezuelan regime – is now positioned near of the state of Texas.
A satellite firm's orbital photographs from 21 December indicates the ship is in the vicinity of the port of Galveston, while Automatic Identification System ship-tracking data from MarineTraffic presently positions the vessel about 80km from the coast.
The Skipper was taken into custody by US authorities on the tenth of December and has been sanctioned by multiple governments. When it was seized, it was incorrectly sailing under the flag of Guyana.
This seizure was followed by the capture of a another oil vessel, the Centuries tanker. It – in contrast to the first vessel – was not under official restrictions when it was taken into US custody.
US authorities are currently pursuing a third ship, which has been named by the risk management group Vanguard as the Bella 1 tanker. The US President stated yesterday that “it will ultimately be secured”.
Writing on the social media platform 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 “another 28 to 35 days of diesel remaining unless her velocity drops”.
The group added the tanker is “likely heading in a southeasterly direction towards South Africa”.