Satellite Image Shows Initial Venezuelan Oil Ship Seized by US is Now Near the Texas Coast.
US agents roped onto the vessel of the tanker Skipper on December 10th.
Orbital data and vessel monitoring information has confirmed that the crude carrier Skipper – the initial vessel seized by the US for reportedly carrying sanctioned oil from the Venezuelan regime – is now off the coast of Texas.
A satellite firm's satellite imagery dated 21 December indicates the ship is near Galveston, while Automatic Identification System vessel-tracking feeds from MarineTraffic currently positions the Skipper about 80km offshore.
The tanker Skipper was seized by US authorities on the tenth of December and has been sanctioned by multiple nations. At the time it was seized, it was falsely sailing under the flag of Guyana.
This seizure was followed by the capture of a another oil vessel, the Centuries tanker. It – unlike the first vessel – was not yet under sanctions when it was brought under American control.
American agencies are now targeting a third such ship, which has been named by the maritime risk group a risk firm as the Bella 1. President Donald Trump stated recently that “we’ll end up getting it”.
Writing on the social media platform X, the maritime monitoring group noted the 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 fuel left unless her velocity decreases”.
The monitoring service added the tanker is “probably traveling south-east towards the South African coast”.
