Imagery Image Shows Initial Venezuelan Oil Ship Seized by American Authorities is Currently Near Texas.
US personnel roped onto the deck of the tanker Skipper on 10 December.
Orbital data and vessel monitoring information has verified that the oil tanker named Skipper – the initial vessel seized by the US for allegedly carrying embargoed oil from Venezuela – is now positioned near of the state of Texas.
Vantor orbital photographs from 21 December indicates the tanker is in the vicinity of Galveston, while AIS vessel-tracking data from a maritime data service currently places the Skipper about 80km offshore.
The tanker Skipper was seized by American officials on the tenth of December and has been sanctioned by several nations. When it was intercepted, it was falsely flying the flag of the nation of Guyana.
This interception was succeeded by the capture of a second tanker, the Centuries. This ship – in contrast to the Skipper – was not under official restrictions 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. President Donald Trump said yesterday 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 “another 28 to 35 days of diesel left unless her velocity drops”.
The monitoring service added the tanker is “probably traveling in a southeasterly direction towards South Africa”.