Imagery Image Shows Initial Venezuela-Linked Tanker Seized by American Authorities is Now Off Texas.
US personnel boarding the vessel of the tanker Skipper on December 10th.
Orbital data and ship tracking data has confirmed that the oil tanker named Skipper – the first vessel apprehended by the US for reportedly transporting embargoed oil from the Venezuelan regime – is now off the coast of the state of Texas.
A satellite firm's satellite imagery dated 21 December shows the ship is in the vicinity of Galveston, while AIS vessel-tracking feeds from MarineTraffic presently positions the Skipper about 50 miles from the coast.
The Skipper was seized by American officials on 10 December and has been blacklisted by multiple nations. At the time it was intercepted, it was incorrectly sailing under the flag of the nation 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 official restrictions when it was brought under American control.
US authorities are now pursuing a third such vessel, which has been named by the maritime risk group a risk firm as the Bella 1. The US President said yesterday that “it will ultimately be secured”.
Writing on the social media platform X, the maritime monitoring group noted the Bella 1 has been “in transit for 39 days” and, at an typical pace of 11 nautical miles per hour, may have “another 28 to 35 days of fuel remaining unless her speed drops”.
The monitoring service further stated the tanker is “probably traveling south-east towards the South African coast”.
