Satellite Data Reveals First Venezuelan Tanker Seized by American Authorities is Currently Near the Texas Coast.
US agents roped onto the vessel of the tanker Skipper on 10 December.
Satellite imagery and vessel monitoring data has verified that the oil tanker named Skipper – the first vessel apprehended by the United States for allegedly transporting sanctioned oil from Venezuela – is currently positioned near of the state of Texas.
A satellite firm's orbital photographs from 21 December indicates the tanker is near the port of Galveston, while AIS vessel-tracking data from a maritime data service presently places the vessel about 50 miles offshore.
The Skipper was seized by US authorities on the tenth of December and has been sanctioned by multiple nations. When it was seized, it was falsely flying the ensign of the nation of Guyana.
This seizure was succeeded by the interception of a another tanker, the Centuries. It – unlike the first vessel – was not under official restrictions when it was taken into American control.
US authorities are now targeting a third such ship, which has been identified by the maritime risk group a risk firm as the Bella 1 tanker. 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 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 fuel left unless her speed decreases”.
The monitoring service further stated the vessel is “likely traveling south-east towards South Africa”.
