Satellite Data Shows Initial Venezuelan Oil Ship Seized by US is Now Off the Texas Coast.
US agents roped onto the vessel of the Skipper on December 10th.
Satellite imagery and ship tracking information has verified that the oil tanker named Skipper – the initial vessel seized by the US for reportedly carrying sanctioned oil from the Venezuelan regime – is now positioned near of Texas.
Vantor orbital photographs dated 21 December shows the tanker is in the vicinity of Galveston, while Automatic Identification System vessel-tracking data from a maritime data service presently positions the vessel about 50 miles offshore.
The tanker Skipper was seized by American officials on 10 December and has been blacklisted by several nations. At the time it was seized, it was incorrectly flying the flag of Guyana.
This interception was followed by the interception of a another tanker, the Centuries. This ship – in contrast to the first vessel – was not yet under sanctions when it was taken into US custody.
US authorities are currently targeting a third such ship, which has been identified by the maritime risk group a risk firm as the Bella 1 tanker. The US President said yesterday that “we’ll end up getting it”.
Writing on X, the maritime monitoring group said the vessel Bella 1 has been “underway for 39 days” and, at an typical pace 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 heading in a southeasterly direction towards South Africa”.
