Imagery Image Reveals Initial Venezuela-Linked Tanker Confiscated by US is Now Off Texas.
US agents boarding the deck of the tanker Skipper on 10 December.
Orbital data and ship tracking information has confirmed that the crude carrier Skipper – the first vessel apprehended by the United States for reportedly carrying sanctioned crude from Venezuela – is now positioned near of the state of Texas.
A satellite firm's orbital photographs dated 21 December shows the ship is near the port of Galveston, while Automatic Identification System ship-tracking feeds from a maritime data service currently places the Skipper about 80km from the coast.
The tanker Skipper was taken into custody by American officials on the tenth of December and has been sanctioned by several nations. When it was intercepted, it was falsely flying the flag of Guyana.
This interception was succeeded by the capture of a another tanker, the Centuries. It – unlike the Skipper – was not yet under official restrictions when it was brought under American control.
American agencies are currently pursuing a third such ship, which has been named by the risk management group Vanguard as the Bella 1. President Donald Trump said recently that “we’ll end up getting it”.
Writing on the social media platform X, the TankerTrackers group noted the vessel 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 left unless her speed decreases”.
The group further stated the vessel is “probably traveling in a southeasterly direction towards South Africa”.