Imagery Image Shows Initial Venezuelan Oil Ship Confiscated by US is Currently Near Texas.
US personnel roped onto the vessel of the tanker Skipper on December 10th.
Satellite imagery and vessel monitoring data has verified that the oil tanker named Skipper – the first vessel seized by the US for reportedly transporting embargoed oil from Venezuela – is now off the coast of Texas.
A satellite firm's orbital photographs from 21 December shows the ship is in the vicinity of Galveston, while Automatic Identification System ship-tracking data from MarineTraffic presently places the Skipper about 80km from the coast.
The Skipper was seized by American officials on 10 December and has been blacklisted by several governments. When it was intercepted, it was falsely flying the flag of Guyana.
This interception was followed by the interception of a another oil vessel, the Centuries tanker. This ship – in contrast to the Skipper – was not under sanctions when it was brought under US custody.
US authorities are currently pursuing a third such vessel, which has been identified by the risk management group Vanguard as the Bella 1 tanker. The US President said yesterday that “it will ultimately be secured”.
Writing on X, the maritime monitoring group noted the Bella 1 has been “underway for over a month” and, at an average speed of 11 knots, may have “another 28 to 35 days of fuel left unless her speed decreases”.
The group added the vessel is “likely heading south-east towards the South African coast”.
