Imagery Image Reveals Initial Venezuelan Oil Ship Seized by American Authorities is Currently Near the Texas Coast.
American agents boarding the vessel of the Skipper on December 10th.
Orbital data and ship tracking data has verified that the crude carrier Skipper – the initial vessel seized by the United States for reportedly transporting embargoed crude from Venezuela – is now off the coast of Texas.
Vantor satellite imagery from 21 December shows the ship is near Galveston, while AIS vessel-tracking data from MarineTraffic currently positions the Skipper about 50 miles from the coast.
The tanker Skipper was seized by US authorities on the tenth of December and has been sanctioned by multiple nations. At the time it was intercepted, it was incorrectly sailing under the ensign of Guyana.
This interception was succeeded by the capture 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.
US authorities are currently targeting a third such vessel, which has been identified by the maritime risk group Vanguard as the Bella 1 tanker. President Donald Trump stated yesterday that “we’ll end up getting it”.
Writing on X, the maritime monitoring group noted the Bella 1 has been “underway for over a month” and, at an average speed of 11 knots, may have “another 28 to 35 days of diesel remaining unless her velocity drops”.
The monitoring service further stated the tanker is “likely heading south-east towards the South African coast”.
