Satellite Data Shows First Venezuela-Linked Oil Ship Seized by American Authorities is Now Near the Texas Coast.
US personnel boarding the vessel of the tanker Skipper on 10 December.
Satellite imagery and ship tracking data has confirmed that the oil tanker Skipper – the first vessel apprehended by the US for allegedly transporting embargoed crude from the Venezuelan regime – is now off the coast of the state of Texas.
Vantor satellite imagery from 21 December shows the ship is near Galveston, while AIS vessel-tracking data from a maritime data service currently places the vessel about 80km from the coast.
The tanker Skipper was taken into custody by US authorities on 10 December and has been sanctioned by several nations. When it was intercepted, it was falsely flying the flag of Guyana.
This seizure was succeeded by the interception of a another oil vessel, the Centuries tanker. This ship – in contrast to the first vessel – was not under official restrictions when it was taken into American control.
American agencies are now pursuing a third such ship, which has been identified by the maritime risk group Vanguard as the Bella 1 tanker. The US President stated recently that “we’ll end up getting it”.
Writing on X, the maritime monitoring group said the Bella 1 has been “underway for 39 days” and, at an average speed of 11 nautical miles per hour, may have “approximately a month of fuel left unless her velocity drops”.
The monitoring service further stated the vessel is “likely traveling in a southeasterly direction towards the South African coast”.
