Imagery Data Reveals First Venezuelan Oil Ship Seized by US is Now Off the Texas Coast.
American agents roped onto the deck of the tanker Skipper on December 10th.
Orbital data and vessel monitoring information has verified that the oil tanker Skipper – the initial vessel apprehended by the US for reportedly transporting embargoed crude from the Venezuelan regime – is currently off the coast of Texas.
A satellite firm's orbital photographs dated 21 December indicates the tanker is near the port of Galveston, while AIS ship-tracking data from MarineTraffic currently places the vessel about 80km offshore.
The Skipper was seized by US authorities on the tenth of December and has been blacklisted by multiple governments. At the time it was intercepted, it was incorrectly flying the ensign of Guyana.
This seizure was succeeded by the interception of a another tanker, the Centuries. It – in contrast to the first vessel – was not under sanctions when it was taken into US custody.
US authorities are now targeting a third vessel, which has been identified by the risk management group a risk firm as the Bella 1 tanker. The US President said yesterday that “we’ll end up getting it”.
Writing on the social media platform X, the TankerTrackers group noted the Bella 1 has been “underway for over a month” and, at an average speed of 11 knots, may have “approximately a month of fuel left unless her speed decreases”.
The group added the vessel is “probably traveling south-east towards the South African coast”.