Imagery Data Reveals First Venezuela-Linked Tanker Confiscated by American Authorities is Currently Near Texas.
US agents boarding the deck of the Skipper on December 10th.
Orbital data and vessel monitoring data has confirmed that the oil tanker Skipper – the first vessel apprehended by the United States for reportedly carrying embargoed crude from Venezuela – is currently positioned near of Texas.
A satellite firm's satellite imagery from 21 December shows the tanker is near Galveston, while AIS ship-tracking feeds from a maritime data service currently places the Skipper about 80km offshore.
The Skipper was seized by American officials on 10 December and has been sanctioned by multiple nations. When it was seized, it was incorrectly sailing under the flag of Guyana.
This seizure was followed by the interception of a second tanker, the Centuries. It – unlike the Skipper – was not under official restrictions when it was brought under American control.
American agencies are currently pursuing a third such ship, which has been named by the risk management group Vanguard as the Bella 1 tanker. President Donald Trump stated yesterday that “it will ultimately be secured”.
Writing on the social media platform X, the TankerTrackers group noted the vessel Bella 1 has been “underway for over a month” and, at an average speed of 11 nautical miles per hour, may have “approximately a month of diesel remaining unless her speed decreases”.
The group added the tanker is “probably heading in a southeasterly direction towards South Africa”.
