Satellite Image Shows Initial Venezuelan Oil Ship Seized by American Authorities is Currently Off Texas.
US agents roped onto the deck of the tanker Skipper on December 10th.
Orbital data and ship tracking data has verified that the oil tanker Skipper – the initial vessel apprehended by the US for allegedly carrying sanctioned crude from Venezuela – is currently positioned near of Texas.
A satellite firm's orbital photographs from 21 December indicates the ship is in the vicinity of Galveston, while Automatic Identification System ship-tracking feeds from a maritime data service presently places the vessel about 80km from the coast.
The tanker Skipper was seized by US authorities on the tenth of December and has been sanctioned by multiple nations. When it was intercepted, it was falsely sailing under the ensign of the nation of Guyana.
This interception was followed by the capture of a second tanker, the Centuries. It – in contrast to the Skipper – was not under official restrictions when it was taken into American control.
US authorities are currently pursuing 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 “it will ultimately be secured”.
Writing on X, the maritime monitoring group noted the vessel Bella 1 has been “underway for 39 days” and, at an average speed of 11 knots, may have “approximately a month of fuel left unless her speed drops”.
The monitoring service added the vessel is “likely heading south-east towards the South African coast”.
