Imagery Image Reveals First Venezuela-Linked Tanker Confiscated by American Authorities is Currently Off Texas.
American personnel boarding the vessel of the Skipper on 10 December.
Satellite imagery and vessel monitoring data has verified that the crude carrier named Skipper – the initial vessel seized by the United States for allegedly transporting sanctioned crude from the Venezuelan regime – is now off the coast of the state of Texas.
Vantor orbital photographs from 21 December indicates the tanker is near the port of Galveston, while AIS ship-tracking data from MarineTraffic currently positions the Skipper about 80km offshore.
The Skipper was taken into custody by American officials on the tenth of December and has been blacklisted by several governments. At the time it was intercepted, it was incorrectly flying the flag of Guyana.
This interception was succeeded by the interception of a second tanker, the Centuries tanker. This ship – unlike the first vessel – was not yet under sanctions when it was brought under American control.
US authorities are now targeting a third vessel, which has been named by the maritime risk group a risk firm as the Bella 1 tanker. The US President said yesterday that “we’ll end up getting it”.
Writing on X, the TankerTrackers group said the Bella 1 has been “in transit for over a month” and, at an typical pace of 11 knots, may have “another 28 to 35 days of diesel remaining unless her speed decreases”.
The monitoring service added the tanker is “probably heading in a southeasterly direction towards South Africa”.
