Satellite Image Reveals First Venezuela-Linked Tanker Confiscated by American Authorities is Now Off Texas.
US personnel boarding the vessel of the Skipper on 10 December.
Satellite imagery and ship tracking data has confirmed that the oil tanker named Skipper – the first vessel seized by the United States for allegedly carrying sanctioned oil from Venezuela – is currently off the coast of Texas.
A satellite firm's orbital photographs from 21 December shows the tanker is in the vicinity of Galveston, while Automatic Identification System vessel-tracking feeds from MarineTraffic currently places the vessel about 80km from the coast.
The Skipper was seized by American officials on 10 December and has been blacklisted by multiple governments. At the time it was seized, it was falsely sailing under the flag of Guyana.
This interception was succeeded by the interception of a second oil vessel, the Centuries. This ship – in contrast to the first vessel – was not yet under official restrictions when it was taken into American control.
US authorities are currently pursuing a third ship, which has been identified by the risk management group Vanguard as the Bella 1. President Donald Trump said yesterday that “it will ultimately be secured”.
Writing on the social media platform X, the maritime monitoring group noted the 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 fuel remaining unless her velocity drops”.
The monitoring service added the vessel is “probably traveling south-east towards the South African coast”.
