Satellite Data Reveals Initial Venezuelan Oil Ship Confiscated by US is Currently Off Texas.
American personnel boarding the vessel of the Skipper on 10 December.
Orbital data and ship tracking data has confirmed that the oil tanker named Skipper – the first vessel apprehended by the US for reportedly transporting sanctioned crude from the Venezuelan regime – is now off the coast of Texas.
A satellite firm's satellite imagery dated 21 December shows the tanker is near Galveston, while AIS vessel-tracking data from a maritime data service currently positions the vessel about 80km offshore.
The tanker Skipper was taken into custody by US authorities on the tenth of December and has been sanctioned by several governments. When it was seized, it was incorrectly sailing under the flag of Guyana.
This interception was followed by the interception of a another oil vessel, the Centuries tanker. It – unlike the Skipper – was not under sanctions when it was taken into US custody.
US authorities are now targeting a third vessel, which has been named by the risk management group Vanguard as the Bella 1 tanker. The US President said recently that “it will ultimately be secured”.
Writing on the social media platform X, the maritime monitoring group said the vessel Bella 1 has been “underway for 39 days” and, at an typical pace of 11 knots, may have “another 28 to 35 days of diesel remaining unless her velocity drops”.
The monitoring service added the vessel is “probably traveling south-east towards the South African coast”.
