Satellite Data Reveals Initial Venezuelan Oil Ship Confiscated by US is Currently Off Texas.
American agents boarding the deck of the Skipper on December 10th.
Satellite imagery and ship tracking data has verified that the oil tanker named Skipper – the initial vessel seized by the United States for allegedly carrying sanctioned crude from Venezuela – is now positioned near of the state of Texas.
Vantor orbital photographs dated 21 December indicates the tanker is in the vicinity of Galveston, while AIS ship-tracking feeds from a maritime data service presently places the Skipper about 80km offshore.
The Skipper was seized by American officials on 10 December and has been blacklisted by several governments. At the time it was intercepted, it was falsely sailing under the flag of Guyana.
This interception was followed by the interception of a another oil vessel, the Centuries. This ship – in contrast to the Skipper – was not yet under official restrictions when it was taken into American control.
American agencies are currently pursuing a third vessel, which has been named by the maritime risk group a risk firm as the Bella 1 tanker. The US President said recently that “it will ultimately be secured”.
Writing on X, the maritime monitoring group noted the vessel Bella 1 has been “in transit for over a month” and, at an average speed of 11 knots, may have “another 28 to 35 days of diesel left unless her velocity decreases”.
The monitoring service added the vessel is “likely heading in a southeasterly direction towards South Africa”.
