Imagery Data Reveals Initial Venezuela-Linked Oil Ship Confiscated by US is Now Off the Texas Coast.
American agents boarding the vessel of the Skipper on 10 December.
Satellite imagery and vessel monitoring information has confirmed that the crude carrier named Skipper – the first vessel seized by the United States for allegedly transporting embargoed oil from Venezuela – is currently positioned near of the state of Texas.
A satellite firm's orbital photographs from 21 December shows the tanker is in the vicinity of the port of Galveston, while AIS vessel-tracking feeds from MarineTraffic currently places the vessel about 50 miles offshore.
The Skipper was seized by American officials on 10 December and has been blacklisted by multiple governments. When it was intercepted, it was incorrectly flying the flag of the nation of Guyana.
This seizure was succeeded by the interception of a another tanker, the Centuries. This ship – unlike the Skipper – was not yet under official restrictions when it was brought under US custody.
US authorities are currently pursuing a third such ship, which has been identified by the maritime risk group Vanguard as the Bella 1 tanker. President Donald Trump said yesterday that “it will ultimately be secured”.
Writing on the social media platform X, the maritime monitoring group said the Bella 1 has been “in transit for 39 days” and, at an average speed of 11 nautical miles per hour, may have “approximately a month of diesel remaining unless her velocity decreases”.
The monitoring service further stated the vessel is “likely heading in a southeasterly direction towards the South African coast”.