Imagery Image Reveals Initial Venezuela-Linked Oil Ship Seized by US is Now Off Texas.
US personnel roped onto the deck of the tanker Skipper on December 10th.
Orbital data and vessel monitoring information has confirmed that the oil tanker named Skipper – the first vessel seized by the US for allegedly carrying sanctioned crude from the Venezuelan regime – is now positioned near of the state of Texas.
Vantor orbital photographs from 21 December indicates the ship is near the port of Galveston, while AIS vessel-tracking data from a maritime data service presently positions the vessel about 80km offshore.
The Skipper was seized by US authorities on the tenth of December and has been blacklisted by multiple nations. When it was intercepted, it was incorrectly flying the ensign of Guyana.
This seizure was followed by the capture of a another oil vessel, the Centuries. This ship – unlike the first vessel – was not yet under official restrictions when it was taken into US custody.
US authorities are currently pursuing a third such ship, which has been identified by the maritime risk group Vanguard as the Bella 1. The US President said yesterday that “we’ll end up getting it”.
Writing on X, the TankerTrackers group said the Bella 1 has been “in transit for 39 days” and, at an average speed of 11 knots, may have “another 28 to 35 days of diesel left unless her speed drops”.
The monitoring service added the tanker is “likely heading in a southeasterly direction towards South Africa”.
