Imagery Data Shows First Venezuelan Oil Ship Confiscated by US is Now Near the Texas Coast.
US agents boarding the vessel of the Skipper on December 10th.
Orbital data and vessel monitoring data has confirmed that the oil tanker Skipper – the first vessel seized by the United States for reportedly transporting sanctioned crude from the Venezuelan regime – is now off the coast of Texas.
A satellite firm's satellite imagery from 21 December shows the tanker is near Galveston, while Automatic Identification System ship-tracking feeds from a maritime data service currently positions the Skipper about 50 miles from the coast.
The tanker Skipper was seized by American officials on 10 December and has been blacklisted by several governments. When it was intercepted, it was incorrectly sailing under the ensign of the nation of Guyana.
This seizure was succeeded by the capture of a second oil vessel, the Centuries. It – unlike the first vessel – was not yet under official restrictions when it was taken into American control.
American agencies are currently pursuing a third vessel, which has been named by the risk management group a risk firm as the Bella 1. The US President stated yesterday that “it will ultimately be secured”.
Writing on the social media platform X, the maritime monitoring group said the Bella 1 has been “underway for over a month” and, at an typical pace of 11 nautical miles per hour, may have “another 28 to 35 days of diesel left unless her velocity drops”.
The group further stated the tanker is “likely traveling south-east towards the South African coast”.