Imagery Image Shows First Venezuela-Linked Tanker Seized by American Authorities is Now Off Texas.
American personnel roped onto the deck of the tanker Skipper on December 10th.
Orbital data and ship tracking information has confirmed that the crude carrier named Skipper – the initial vessel apprehended by the United States for allegedly transporting embargoed crude from the Venezuelan regime – is currently off the coast of Texas.
A satellite firm's orbital photographs dated 21 December indicates the ship is in the vicinity of Galveston, while Automatic Identification System vessel-tracking data from MarineTraffic currently places the vessel about 50 miles offshore.
The tanker Skipper was taken into custody by American officials on 10 December and has been sanctioned by several governments. When it was intercepted, it was incorrectly flying the flag of Guyana.
This interception was followed by the interception of a another tanker, the Centuries. This ship – unlike the Skipper – was not under official restrictions when it was taken into American control.
US authorities are now pursuing a third ship, which has been identified by the risk management group Vanguard as the Bella 1. President Donald Trump said recently that “we’ll end up getting it”.
Writing on X, the TankerTrackers group said the Bella 1 has been “in transit for over a month” and, at an typical pace of 11 nautical miles per hour, may have “another 28 to 35 days of fuel remaining unless her speed decreases”.
The monitoring service further stated the vessel is “likely traveling in a southeasterly direction towards the South African coast”.
