Satellite Image Shows Initial Venezuela-Linked Tanker Seized by US is Currently Near Texas.
US agents boarding the deck of the tanker Skipper on December 10th.
Orbital data and ship tracking data has verified that the oil tanker Skipper – the first vessel apprehended by the United States for allegedly carrying sanctioned oil from Venezuela – is currently positioned near of Texas.
Vantor orbital photographs dated 21 December shows the ship is near the port of Galveston, while AIS vessel-tracking data from MarineTraffic presently positions the Skipper about 80km from the coast.
The tanker Skipper was seized by US authorities on the tenth of December and has been sanctioned by several nations. When it was seized, it was incorrectly flying the ensign of the nation of Guyana.
This interception was followed by the interception of a another tanker, the Centuries. It – in contrast to the first vessel – was not under sanctions when it was taken into US custody.
American agencies are currently pursuing a third such vessel, which has been identified by the maritime risk group Vanguard as the Bella 1 tanker. President Donald Trump said recently that “we’ll end up getting it”.
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 nautical miles per hour, may have “approximately a month of diesel remaining unless her velocity drops”.
The monitoring service further stated the vessel is “likely traveling south-east towards South Africa”.
