Satellite Image Reveals Initial Venezuelan Oil Ship Seized by American Authorities is Now Near Texas.
American personnel roped onto the vessel of the tanker Skipper on December 10th.
Orbital data and ship tracking data has verified that the crude carrier Skipper – the first vessel apprehended by the United States for reportedly carrying sanctioned crude from the Venezuelan regime – is currently positioned near of Texas.
A satellite firm's orbital photographs from 21 December shows the ship is near Galveston, while Automatic Identification System ship-tracking feeds from MarineTraffic presently positions the Skipper about 80km offshore.
The tanker Skipper was seized by American officials on the tenth of December and has been sanctioned by several governments. At the time it was seized, it was incorrectly flying the flag of the nation of Guyana.
This seizure was followed by the capture of a second oil vessel, the Centuries. It – unlike the Skipper – was not yet under sanctions when it was brought under US custody.
American agencies are now targeting a third such ship, which has been named by the maritime risk group a risk firm as the Bella 1 tanker. President Donald Trump said yesterday that “it will ultimately be secured”.
Writing on the social media platform X, the maritime monitoring group noted the Bella 1 has been “underway for 39 days” and, at an average speed of 11 nautical miles per hour, may have “another 28 to 35 days of fuel left unless her speed drops”.
The group further stated the vessel is “probably heading in a southeasterly direction towards the South African coast”.
