Satellite Data Shows First Venezuela-Linked Oil Ship Confiscated by US is Currently Near Texas.
US personnel boarding the deck of the Skipper on 10 December.
Satellite imagery and vessel monitoring information has verified that the oil tanker Skipper – the initial vessel seized by the US for reportedly transporting embargoed oil from Venezuela – is now positioned near of Texas.
A satellite firm's orbital photographs dated 21 December shows the tanker is near Galveston, while AIS vessel-tracking feeds from a maritime data service currently places the Skipper about 80km from the coast.
The Skipper was taken into custody by US authorities on the tenth of December and has been blacklisted by several governments. When it was intercepted, it was falsely flying the ensign of the nation of Guyana.
This seizure was followed by the interception of a another oil vessel, the Centuries tanker. This ship – in contrast to the first vessel – was not yet under official restrictions when it was brought under US custody.
American agencies are currently pursuing a third ship, which has been identified by the risk management group a risk firm as the Bella 1. President Donald Trump stated yesterday 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 “in transit for 39 days” and, at an typical pace of 11 nautical miles per hour, may have “approximately a month of diesel left unless her speed decreases”.
The group further stated the vessel is “probably heading in a southeasterly direction towards the South African coast”.
