Satellite Image Reveals Initial Venezuelan Oil Ship Seized by US is Now Near Texas.
American personnel roped onto the deck of the Skipper on December 10th.
Orbital data and vessel monitoring data has verified that the crude carrier named Skipper – the first vessel seized by the US for allegedly carrying embargoed oil from the Venezuelan regime – is now off the coast of Texas.
Vantor satellite imagery from 21 December shows the tanker is near Galveston, while Automatic Identification System vessel-tracking data from a maritime data service currently places the Skipper about 50 miles from the coast.
The Skipper was seized by American officials on the tenth of December and has been blacklisted by multiple governments. At the time it was seized, it was incorrectly sailing under the ensign of Guyana.
This seizure was followed by the interception of a second tanker, the Centuries tanker. This ship – in contrast to the Skipper – was not under sanctions when it was brought under US custody.
American agencies are now pursuing a third vessel, which has been identified by the maritime risk group a risk firm as the Bella 1. President Donald Trump said yesterday that “it will ultimately be secured”.
Writing on the social media platform X, the TankerTrackers group said the vessel 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 velocity decreases”.
The monitoring service added the tanker is “probably heading in a southeasterly direction towards the South African coast”.
