Imagery Image Reveals First Venezuelan Oil Ship Confiscated by US is Currently Off the Texas Coast.
US agents roped onto the deck of the tanker Skipper on December 10th.
Satellite imagery and ship tracking data has confirmed that the crude carrier named Skipper – the first vessel seized by the United States for allegedly carrying embargoed crude from Venezuela – is currently positioned near of Texas.
A satellite firm's satellite imagery dated 21 December shows the tanker is near the port of Galveston, while AIS ship-tracking feeds from a maritime data service currently places the vessel about 80km offshore.
The tanker Skipper was seized by US authorities on 10 December and has been sanctioned by several governments. When it was intercepted, it was falsely sailing under the ensign of Guyana.
This seizure was followed by the interception of a second tanker, the Centuries. This ship – unlike the first vessel – was not yet under sanctions when it was taken into US custody.
American agencies are now pursuing 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 recently that “we’ll end up getting it”.
Writing on X, the maritime monitoring group noted the vessel Bella 1 has been “underway for over a month” and, at an typical pace of 11 knots, may have “approximately a month of diesel remaining unless her speed decreases”.
The monitoring service added the tanker is “probably heading south-east towards the South African coast”.
