Satellite Data Shows First Venezuelan Tanker Confiscated by American Authorities is Currently Off the Texas Coast.
US personnel boarding the deck of the Skipper on December 10th.
Satellite imagery and vessel monitoring information has verified that the crude carrier Skipper – the first vessel apprehended by the US for allegedly carrying embargoed crude from Venezuela – is now off the coast of the state of Texas.
A satellite firm's orbital photographs dated 21 December shows the tanker is near Galveston, while AIS ship-tracking data from a maritime data service currently positions 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 multiple nations. At the time it was seized, it was falsely flying the ensign of Guyana.
This interception was followed by the interception of a second tanker, the Centuries tanker. It – unlike the first vessel – was not under sanctions when it was taken into American control.
American agencies are currently targeting a third ship, which has been identified by the risk management group a risk firm as the Bella 1. The US President said yesterday that “we’ll end up getting it”.
Writing on the social media platform X, the maritime monitoring group said the Bella 1 has been “underway for over a month” and, at an typical pace of 11 knots, may have “another 28 to 35 days of diesel left unless her speed decreases”.
The monitoring service added the tanker is “probably traveling south-east towards South Africa”.
