Imagery Data Reveals First Venezuelan Tanker Confiscated by American Authorities is Now Off Texas.
US personnel boarding the vessel of the Skipper on 10 December.
Orbital data and vessel monitoring information has verified that the oil tanker Skipper – the first vessel apprehended by the US for allegedly transporting sanctioned crude from Venezuela – is now positioned near of Texas.
A satellite firm's satellite imagery from 21 December shows the ship is near Galveston, while AIS vessel-tracking feeds from MarineTraffic currently positions the vessel about 80km offshore.
The tanker Skipper was seized by American officials on the tenth of December and has been sanctioned by multiple nations. At the time it was seized, it was falsely flying the flag of Guyana.
This seizure was followed by the capture of a another tanker, the Centuries. This ship – in contrast to the Skipper – was not under official restrictions when it was taken into US custody.
American agencies are currently targeting a third vessel, which has been identified by the risk management group a risk firm as the Bella 1 tanker. The US President said recently that “we’ll end up getting it”.
Writing on X, the maritime monitoring group said the Bella 1 has been “in transit for 39 days” and, at an typical pace of 11 knots, may have “approximately a month of diesel remaining unless her velocity decreases”.
The group added the tanker is “probably traveling south-east towards the South African coast”.
