Satellite Data Reveals First Venezuela-Linked Tanker Confiscated by American Authorities is Now Off Texas.
American personnel roped onto the vessel of the Skipper on December 10th.
Orbital data and vessel monitoring information has confirmed that the oil tanker named Skipper – the initial vessel seized by the US for allegedly carrying embargoed oil from Venezuela – is now off the coast of the state of Texas.
A satellite firm's orbital photographs dated 21 December shows the ship is in the vicinity of the port of Galveston, while Automatic Identification System vessel-tracking data from MarineTraffic presently positions the vessel about 50 miles offshore.
The tanker Skipper was seized by American officials on 10 December and has been blacklisted by multiple nations. At the time it was intercepted, it was falsely flying the flag of the nation of Guyana.
This interception was followed by the capture of a another oil vessel, the Centuries. This ship – in contrast to the first vessel – was not yet under official restrictions when it was taken into American control.
US authorities are currently pursuing a third ship, which has been named by the risk management group Vanguard as the Bella 1. The US President said yesterday 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 typical pace of 11 knots, may have “approximately a month of fuel remaining unless her velocity drops”.
The monitoring service added the tanker is “likely heading south-east towards South Africa”.
