Imagery Data Reveals First Venezuela-Linked Tanker Confiscated by US is Now Off Texas.
US personnel boarding the deck of the Skipper on 10 December.
Orbital data and vessel monitoring data has confirmed that the crude carrier Skipper – the first vessel apprehended by the US for allegedly transporting sanctioned crude from Venezuela – is now positioned near of Texas.
Vantor satellite imagery dated 21 December shows the ship is near the port of Galveston, while AIS vessel-tracking data from a maritime data service presently places the Skipper about 50 miles from the coast.
The tanker Skipper was taken into custody by American officials on 10 December and has been sanctioned by several nations. At the time it was seized, it was incorrectly flying the ensign of the nation of Guyana.
This interception was succeeded by the capture of a another tanker, the Centuries. It – in contrast to the Skipper – was not under sanctions when it was brought under American control.
US authorities are now targeting a third such vessel, which has been identified by the risk management group Vanguard as the Bella 1. The US President stated recently that “we’ll end up getting it”.
Writing on X, the TankerTrackers group noted the vessel Bella 1 has been “in transit for over a month” and, at an average speed of 11 knots, may have “another 28 to 35 days of fuel remaining unless her speed decreases”.
The group further stated the vessel is “probably traveling in a southeasterly direction towards South Africa”.
