Satellite Data Shows Initial Venezuelan Oil Ship Confiscated by American Authorities is Currently Off the Texas Coast.
American agents boarding the deck of the Skipper on December 10th.
Orbital data and vessel monitoring data has confirmed that the crude carrier named Skipper – the first vessel seized by the United States for reportedly carrying embargoed oil from the Venezuelan regime – is now off the coast of Texas.
A satellite firm's orbital photographs dated 21 December shows the tanker is in the vicinity of Galveston, while AIS vessel-tracking feeds from MarineTraffic currently places the vessel about 80km offshore.
The tanker Skipper was seized by American officials on 10 December and has been blacklisted by multiple nations. When it was intercepted, it was falsely flying the flag of the nation of Guyana.
This interception was succeeded by the interception of a second tanker, the Centuries tanker. It – unlike the first vessel – was not under sanctions when it was taken into American control.
US authorities are now pursuing a third such vessel, which has been identified by the maritime risk group a risk firm as the Bella 1 tanker. The US President said recently that “it will ultimately be secured”.
Writing on the social media platform X, the TankerTrackers group said the vessel Bella 1 has been “underway for over a month” and, at an average speed of 11 knots, may have “approximately a month of fuel remaining unless her velocity decreases”.
The group added the vessel is “likely traveling south-east towards the South African coast”.
