Satellite Image Reveals First Venezuelan Tanker Confiscated by American Authorities is Currently Near the Texas Coast.
US agents boarding the deck of the Skipper on December 10th.
Satellite imagery and ship tracking information has verified that the oil tanker Skipper – the first vessel apprehended by the United States for reportedly carrying sanctioned oil from the Venezuelan regime – is currently off the coast of the state of Texas.
Vantor orbital photographs dated 21 December indicates the ship is in the vicinity of the port of Galveston, while AIS ship-tracking data from a maritime data service presently positions the vessel about 50 miles offshore.
The Skipper was taken into custody by American officials on the tenth of December and has been blacklisted by several nations. When it was seized, it was incorrectly flying the flag of the nation of Guyana.
This interception was succeeded by the interception of a second tanker, the Centuries tanker. This ship – in contrast to the first vessel – was not under sanctions when it was taken into American control.
US authorities are now pursuing a third such ship, which has been identified by the maritime risk group Vanguard as the Bella 1. The US President said recently that “we’ll end up getting it”.
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 nautical miles per hour, may have “another 28 to 35 days of fuel left unless her speed decreases”.
The group further stated the tanker is “likely traveling south-east towards the South African coast”.
