Imagery Image Shows First Venezuela-Linked Tanker Seized by US is Currently Near the Texas Coast.
American personnel roped onto the deck of the Skipper on 10 December.
Orbital data and vessel monitoring information has verified that the crude carrier Skipper – the initial vessel apprehended by the US for allegedly carrying embargoed crude from Venezuela – is now positioned near of Texas.
Vantor satellite imagery dated 21 December shows the ship is in the vicinity of the port of Galveston, while Automatic Identification System ship-tracking feeds from MarineTraffic currently positions the Skipper about 50 miles offshore.
The Skipper was taken into custody by American officials on 10 December and has been sanctioned by several governments. At the time it was seized, it was incorrectly flying the flag of the nation of Guyana.
This seizure was followed by the capture of a second tanker, the Centuries tanker. This ship – in contrast to the first vessel – was not yet under sanctions when it was brought under US custody.
US authorities are now pursuing a third vessel, which has been named by the risk management group Vanguard as the Bella 1 tanker. The US President stated yesterday that “it will ultimately be secured”.
Writing on the social media platform X, the maritime monitoring group noted the Bella 1 has been “underway for 39 days” and, at an typical pace of 11 nautical miles per hour, may have “approximately a month of fuel remaining unless her speed decreases”.
The monitoring service further stated the vessel is “likely heading south-east towards the South African coast”.
