Imagery Image Reveals First Venezuelan Tanker Seized by US is Now Near the Texas Coast.
US personnel roped onto the deck of the Skipper on December 10th.
Satellite imagery and vessel monitoring data has confirmed that the oil tanker named Skipper – the first vessel seized by the United States for allegedly transporting sanctioned crude from the Venezuelan regime – is now positioned near of Texas.
A satellite firm's satellite imagery dated 21 December indicates the ship is near Galveston, while Automatic Identification System ship-tracking feeds from a maritime data service presently positions the Skipper about 50 miles from the coast.
The tanker Skipper was taken into custody by US authorities on 10 December and has been sanctioned by multiple governments. At the time it was intercepted, it was falsely sailing under the ensign of Guyana.
This seizure was succeeded by the interception of a second tanker, the Centuries tanker. This ship – unlike the first vessel – was not yet under official restrictions when it was taken into US custody.
US authorities are now targeting a third 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 TankerTrackers group said the Bella 1 has been “in transit 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 group added the tanker is “likely traveling in a southeasterly direction towards the South African coast”.