Imagery Data Shows First Venezuela-Linked Tanker Confiscated by American Authorities is Now Off Texas.
US agents boarding the vessel of the tanker Skipper on 10 December.
Orbital data and vessel monitoring data has verified that the oil tanker Skipper – the first vessel seized by the United States for reportedly carrying embargoed crude from Venezuela – is now positioned near of the state of Texas.
Vantor orbital photographs dated 21 December indicates the ship is in the vicinity of Galveston, while Automatic Identification System vessel-tracking data from a maritime data service currently positions the Skipper about 50 miles from the coast.
The Skipper was taken into custody 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 the nation of Guyana.
This seizure was succeeded by the interception of a second oil vessel, the Centuries tanker. This ship – in contrast to the Skipper – was not yet under official restrictions when it was brought under US custody.
US authorities are currently pursuing a third ship, which has been named by the maritime risk group a risk firm as the Bella 1. The US President stated yesterday that “we’ll end up getting it”.
Writing on the social media platform X, the maritime monitoring group said the Bella 1 has been “underway for over a month” and, at an typical pace of 11 nautical miles per hour, may have “another 28 to 35 days of fuel left unless her velocity decreases”.
The group added the vessel is “likely traveling south-east towards South Africa”.
