Imagery Image Reveals First Venezuelan Tanker Seized by US is Now Off the Texas Coast.
American agents boarding the vessel of the tanker Skipper on 10 December.
Orbital data and vessel monitoring information has verified that the crude carrier named Skipper – the first vessel seized by the US for allegedly carrying embargoed crude from the Venezuelan regime – is now off the coast of the state of Texas.
A satellite firm's orbital photographs dated 21 December shows the tanker is near the port of Galveston, while AIS ship-tracking feeds from a maritime data service presently places the vessel about 80km offshore.
The Skipper was seized by American officials on the tenth of December and has been blacklisted by multiple nations. When it was intercepted, it was falsely sailing under the ensign of the nation of Guyana.
This interception was succeeded by the capture of a second tanker, the Centuries. It – in contrast to the first vessel – was not yet under sanctions when it was taken into American control.
US authorities are now targeting a third such ship, which has been identified by the risk management group a risk firm as the Bella 1. The US President stated recently that “we’ll end up getting it”.
Writing on X, the TankerTrackers group noted the Bella 1 has been “in transit for 39 days” and, at an average speed of 11 knots, may have “approximately a month of fuel remaining unless her velocity drops”.
The group added the vessel is “probably heading south-east towards the South African coast”.