Satellite Image Reveals Initial Venezuelan Oil Ship Confiscated by American Authorities is Currently Near Texas.
US personnel roped onto the vessel of the tanker Skipper on December 10th.
Orbital data and vessel monitoring data has confirmed that the crude carrier named Skipper – the first vessel seized by the United States for reportedly transporting embargoed oil from Venezuela – is currently off the coast of Texas.
Vantor satellite imagery from 21 December shows the tanker is near Galveston, while Automatic Identification System ship-tracking feeds from a maritime data service presently places the vessel about 50 miles offshore.
The Skipper was taken into custody by US authorities on 10 December and has been blacklisted by several nations. When it was seized, it was falsely flying the flag of Guyana.
This seizure was followed by the interception of a another oil vessel, the Centuries tanker. This ship – in contrast to the first vessel – was not yet under sanctions when it was brought under American control.
US authorities are now targeting a third vessel, which has been named by the maritime risk group a risk firm as the Bella 1. The US President stated yesterday that “we’ll end up getting it”.
Writing on X, the maritime monitoring group noted 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 left unless her velocity drops”.
The monitoring service added the vessel is “probably traveling in a southeasterly direction towards the South African coast”.
