Satellite Image Reveals First Venezuelan Oil Ship Seized by American Authorities is Now Near the Texas Coast.
US personnel boarding the deck of the Skipper on 10 December.
Satellite imagery and ship tracking information has verified that the crude carrier named Skipper – the initial vessel apprehended by the United States for reportedly carrying sanctioned crude from the Venezuelan regime – is now off the coast of the state of Texas.
Vantor satellite imagery from 21 December indicates the ship is in the vicinity of the port of Galveston, while Automatic Identification System ship-tracking data from MarineTraffic presently positions the vessel about 80km offshore.
The Skipper was taken into custody by US authorities on 10 December and has been blacklisted by several governments. When it was intercepted, it was incorrectly flying the flag of Guyana.
This seizure was followed by the capture of a another oil vessel, the Centuries. It – in contrast to the Skipper – was not under official restrictions when it was taken into American control.
American agencies are now targeting a third such vessel, which has been identified by the risk management group a risk firm as the Bella 1. 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 “in transit for 39 days” and, at an average speed of 11 nautical miles per hour, may have “approximately a month of diesel remaining unless her speed drops”.
The monitoring service further stated the vessel is “likely traveling south-east towards South Africa”.
