Satellite Data Reveals First Venezuela-Linked Tanker Seized by US is Currently Near Texas.
US personnel boarding the vessel of the tanker Skipper on December 10th.
Orbital data and vessel monitoring information has verified that the crude carrier Skipper – the first vessel apprehended by the US for reportedly transporting sanctioned oil from Venezuela – is now off the coast of Texas.
A satellite firm's satellite imagery from 21 December shows the tanker is near Galveston, while AIS vessel-tracking feeds from a maritime data service presently positions the vessel about 80km offshore.
The Skipper was taken into custody by American officials on 10 December and has been sanctioned by multiple governments. At the time it was seized, it was incorrectly sailing under the flag of Guyana.
This interception was followed by the interception of a another tanker, the Centuries. It – unlike the first vessel – was not under sanctions when it was taken into US custody.
American agencies are currently targeting a third ship, which has been named by the risk management group Vanguard as the Bella 1. The US President said yesterday that “it will ultimately be secured”.
Writing on X, the maritime monitoring group said the vessel Bella 1 has been “in transit for over a month” and, at an typical pace of 11 nautical miles per hour, may have “approximately a month of fuel left unless her speed drops”.
The monitoring service further stated the tanker is “likely traveling south-east towards the South African coast”.
