Imagery Data Shows Initial Venezuela-Linked Tanker Seized by US is Now Near Texas.
US personnel roped onto the deck of the tanker Skipper on December 10th.
Satellite imagery and ship tracking information has confirmed that the crude carrier Skipper – the initial vessel apprehended by the United States for allegedly transporting sanctioned crude from the Venezuelan regime – is now off the coast of the state of Texas.
Vantor satellite imagery dated 21 December indicates the tanker is near the port of Galveston, while Automatic Identification System ship-tracking feeds from MarineTraffic presently positions the Skipper about 50 miles from the coast.
The tanker Skipper was taken into custody by American officials on the tenth of December and has been blacklisted by multiple governments. At the time it was seized, it was falsely sailing under the ensign of Guyana.
This seizure was succeeded by the interception of a another tanker, the Centuries. It – in contrast to the Skipper – was not yet under official restrictions when it was brought under American control.
American agencies are currently pursuing a third such vessel, which has been named by the maritime risk group a risk firm as the Bella 1 tanker. The US President stated yesterday that “it will ultimately be secured”.
Writing on X, the TankerTrackers group noted the vessel Bella 1 has been “underway for 39 days” and, at an average speed of 11 knots, may have “approximately a month of diesel remaining unless her velocity decreases”.
The group added the tanker is “likely traveling south-east towards the South African coast”.
