Satellite Image Reveals First Venezuelan Tanker Confiscated by American Authorities is Now Off the Texas Coast.
US agents boarding the vessel of the Skipper on December 10th.
Satellite imagery and ship tracking information has confirmed that the crude carrier Skipper – the first vessel seized by the US for allegedly carrying sanctioned crude from Venezuela – is now positioned near of Texas.
A satellite firm's satellite imagery from 21 December shows the tanker is in the vicinity of Galveston, while Automatic Identification System ship-tracking feeds from a maritime data service presently places the Skipper about 80km offshore.
The 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 incorrectly flying the flag of the nation of Guyana.
This interception was succeeded by the capture of a second tanker, the Centuries tanker. It – in contrast to the first vessel – was not under official restrictions when it was brought under American control.
US authorities are currently pursuing a third ship, which has been named by the maritime risk group Vanguard as the Bella 1. President Donald Trump said recently that “it will ultimately be secured”.
Writing on X, the maritime monitoring group noted the vessel Bella 1 has been “underway for over a month” and, at an average speed of 11 knots, may have “approximately a month of fuel remaining unless her velocity drops”.
The group added the tanker is “probably traveling south-east towards the South African coast”.
