Satellite Image Shows Initial Venezuelan Tanker Seized by US is Now Off the Texas Coast.
US agents roped onto the deck of the Skipper on 10 December.
Satellite imagery and vessel monitoring data has confirmed that the crude carrier named Skipper – the first vessel apprehended by the United States for reportedly transporting embargoed oil from Venezuela – is now off the coast of Texas.
A satellite firm's orbital photographs dated 21 December shows the ship is near Galveston, while Automatic Identification System ship-tracking feeds from a maritime data service presently places the Skipper about 80km from the coast.
The tanker Skipper was taken into custody by US authorities on the tenth of December and has been sanctioned by several nations. At the time it was intercepted, it was falsely sailing under the ensign of the nation of Guyana.
This interception was succeeded by the capture of a another oil vessel, the Centuries tanker. This ship – unlike the first vessel – was not under official restrictions when it was brought under 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. President Donald Trump stated recently that “we’ll end up getting it”.
Writing on the social media platform X, the TankerTrackers group noted the vessel Bella 1 has been “underway for 39 days” and, at an average speed of 11 knots, may have “another 28 to 35 days of fuel remaining unless her velocity decreases”.
The monitoring service added the vessel is “probably traveling in a southeasterly direction towards South Africa”.
