Imagery Data Reveals Initial Venezuelan Tanker Confiscated by American Authorities is Currently Near the Texas Coast.
American personnel roped onto the vessel of the Skipper on 10 December.
Orbital data and vessel monitoring information has confirmed that the crude carrier Skipper – the first vessel apprehended by the US for reportedly carrying sanctioned oil from the Venezuelan regime – is now off the coast of the state of Texas.
Vantor satellite imagery from 21 December indicates the ship is near the port of Galveston, while Automatic Identification System ship-tracking data from MarineTraffic currently places the Skipper about 80km from the coast.
The tanker Skipper was taken into custody by US authorities on 10 December and has been sanctioned by multiple nations. When it was seized, it was incorrectly flying the flag of the nation of Guyana.
This seizure was succeeded by the interception of a another tanker, the Centuries tanker. This ship – in contrast to the first vessel – was not yet under official restrictions when it was taken into American control.
US authorities are now targeting a third ship, which has been identified by the maritime risk group a risk firm as the Bella 1. The US President stated recently 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 39 days” and, at an typical pace of 11 nautical miles per hour, may have “another 28 to 35 days of diesel left unless her velocity drops”.
The monitoring service added the tanker is “probably traveling in a southeasterly direction towards South Africa”.
