Satellite Image Reveals First Venezuelan Tanker Confiscated by American Authorities is Now Near the Texas Coast.
American agents boarding the deck of the tanker Skipper on 10 December.
Satellite imagery and vessel monitoring information has confirmed that the crude carrier named Skipper – the initial vessel seized by the United States for allegedly carrying embargoed crude from the Venezuelan regime – is currently positioned near of Texas.
A satellite firm's satellite imagery from 21 December shows the ship is in the vicinity of Galveston, while Automatic Identification System vessel-tracking feeds from MarineTraffic currently positions the Skipper about 50 miles from the coast.
The tanker Skipper was seized by US authorities on 10 December and has been blacklisted by multiple governments. At the time it was seized, it was falsely sailing under the flag of the nation of Guyana.
This seizure was followed by the capture of a another tanker, the Centuries. It – unlike the Skipper – was not under sanctions when it was brought under US custody.
American agencies are now targeting a third such ship, which has been named by the maritime risk group a risk firm as the Bella 1 tanker. The US President stated recently that “it will ultimately be secured”.
Writing on X, the maritime monitoring 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 diesel remaining unless her speed drops”.
The monitoring service further stated the vessel is “probably heading south-east towards South Africa”.
