Satellite Image Reveals Initial Venezuelan Oil Ship Confiscated by US is Now Near the Texas Coast.
American personnel boarding the deck of the tanker Skipper on December 10th.
Orbital data and ship tracking data has verified that the crude carrier Skipper – the first vessel seized by the US for allegedly carrying sanctioned oil from Venezuela – is currently off the coast of the state of Texas.
A satellite firm's satellite imagery dated 21 December indicates the ship is in the vicinity of Galveston, while AIS ship-tracking feeds from MarineTraffic presently positions the vessel about 50 miles from the coast.
The tanker Skipper was seized by American officials on the tenth of December and has been sanctioned by multiple governments. When it was intercepted, it was falsely sailing under the ensign of the nation of Guyana.
This seizure was followed by the interception of a another oil vessel, the Centuries. This ship – in contrast to the first vessel – was not yet under sanctions when it was brought under American control.
American agencies are now pursuing a third ship, which has been identified by the maritime risk group a risk firm as the Bella 1 tanker. The US President stated yesterday that “it will ultimately be secured”.
Writing on X, the TankerTrackers group noted the 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 speed decreases”.
The monitoring service added the vessel is “likely heading in a southeasterly direction towards South Africa”.
