Imagery Image Shows First Venezuelan Tanker Confiscated by American Authorities is Currently Near the Texas Coast.
American agents boarding the vessel of the Skipper on December 10th.
Satellite imagery and ship tracking data has verified that the crude carrier Skipper – the initial vessel seized by the US for reportedly transporting sanctioned crude from Venezuela – is now positioned near of the state of Texas.
A satellite firm's satellite imagery dated 21 December indicates the tanker is in the vicinity of the port of Galveston, while AIS vessel-tracking data from MarineTraffic currently places the vessel about 50 miles offshore.
The Skipper was seized by American officials on the tenth of December and has been sanctioned by multiple governments. When it was intercepted, it was falsely sailing under the flag of Guyana.
This seizure was succeeded by the interception of a second oil vessel, the Centuries tanker. It – unlike the Skipper – was not yet under sanctions when it was taken into American control.
US authorities are currently targeting a third vessel, which has been identified by the maritime risk group Vanguard as the Bella 1 tanker. The US President stated recently that “we’ll end up getting it”.
Writing on the social media platform X, the TankerTrackers group said the vessel Bella 1 has been “in transit for over a month” and, at an average speed of 11 nautical miles per hour, may have “another 28 to 35 days of diesel left unless her velocity drops”.
The monitoring service further stated the vessel is “likely heading in a southeasterly direction towards the South African coast”.
