Imagery Image Shows Initial Venezuelan Oil Ship Seized by American Authorities is Now Off Texas.
American agents boarding the vessel of the tanker Skipper on December 10th.
Satellite imagery and vessel monitoring information has confirmed that the oil tanker named Skipper – the initial vessel apprehended by the United States for allegedly transporting sanctioned crude from Venezuela – is now off the coast of Texas.
A satellite firm's satellite imagery from 21 December indicates the tanker is in the vicinity of Galveston, while Automatic Identification System ship-tracking data from MarineTraffic presently positions the vessel about 50 miles from the coast.
The tanker Skipper was seized by US authorities on the tenth of December and has been sanctioned by several governments. When it was seized, it was falsely sailing under the flag of the nation of Guyana.
This interception was succeeded by the interception of a second oil vessel, the Centuries. This ship – unlike the first vessel – was not yet under official restrictions when it was brought under American control.
US authorities are now targeting a third such ship, which has been identified by the risk management group Vanguard 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 vessel Bella 1 has been “underway for 39 days” and, at an typical pace of 11 knots, may have “approximately a month of diesel remaining unless her velocity decreases”.
The group further stated the vessel is “probably traveling south-east towards South Africa”.
