Satellite Image Reveals Initial Venezuelan Tanker Seized by American Authorities is Now Off Texas.
American personnel roped onto the deck of the tanker Skipper on December 10th.
Satellite imagery and vessel monitoring information has confirmed that the oil tanker Skipper – the initial vessel seized by the US for allegedly transporting embargoed crude from the Venezuelan regime – is now off the coast of the state of Texas.
A satellite firm's satellite imagery from 21 December indicates the tanker is near the port of Galveston, while Automatic Identification System ship-tracking data from MarineTraffic currently places the vessel about 80km from the coast.
The Skipper was taken into custody by American officials on 10 December and has been blacklisted by multiple nations. At the time it was intercepted, it was incorrectly sailing under the flag of the nation of Guyana.
This interception was followed by the interception of a second tanker, 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 vessel, which has been named by the maritime risk group Vanguard as the Bella 1 tanker. President Donald Trump stated recently that “we’ll end up getting it”.
Writing on X, the maritime monitoring group noted the Bella 1 has been “in transit for over a month” and, at an typical pace of 11 knots, may have “approximately a month of fuel left unless her speed drops”.
The monitoring service added the tanker is “likely traveling in a southeasterly direction towards the South African coast”.
