Satellite Image Reveals First Venezuela-Linked Oil Ship Confiscated by American Authorities is Currently Near the Texas Coast.
American agents roped onto the deck of the tanker Skipper on December 10th.
Satellite imagery and ship tracking data has verified that the oil tanker Skipper – the first vessel apprehended by the US for reportedly carrying sanctioned oil from the Venezuelan regime – is now positioned near of Texas.
A satellite firm's satellite imagery from 21 December indicates the ship is in the vicinity of Galveston, while AIS vessel-tracking feeds from a maritime data service currently places the Skipper about 80km offshore.
The Skipper was taken into custody by US authorities on the tenth of December and has been blacklisted by multiple nations. When it was intercepted, it was falsely sailing under the ensign of Guyana.
This interception was succeeded by the capture of a another oil vessel, the Centuries. It – in contrast to the first vessel – was not under sanctions when it was taken into American control.
American agencies are now targeting a third ship, which has been named by the maritime risk group Vanguard as the Bella 1. President Donald Trump said yesterday that “we’ll end up getting it”.
Writing on the social media platform X, the TankerTrackers group said the Bella 1 has been “underway for over a month” and, at an typical pace of 11 knots, may have “another 28 to 35 days of fuel left unless her velocity decreases”.
The group further stated the tanker is “probably traveling south-east towards South Africa”.
