Satellite Data Shows First Venezuelan Oil Ship Confiscated by American Authorities is Now Off Texas.
US personnel roped onto the deck of the Skipper on December 10th.
Orbital data and ship tracking information has verified that the crude carrier named Skipper – the initial vessel apprehended by the United States for reportedly carrying sanctioned crude from the Venezuelan regime – is now off the coast of the state of Texas.
Vantor orbital photographs dated 21 December indicates the ship is near the port of Galveston, while Automatic Identification System vessel-tracking data from MarineTraffic presently positions the Skipper about 50 miles offshore.
The Skipper was taken into custody by US authorities on 10 December and has been blacklisted by multiple governments. At the time it was intercepted, it was falsely flying the ensign of the nation of Guyana.
This seizure was succeeded by the capture of a second oil vessel, the Centuries tanker. This ship – unlike the Skipper – was not under sanctions when it was brought under American control.
American agencies are currently pursuing a third ship, which has been named by the risk management group a risk firm as the Bella 1 tanker. President Donald Trump stated recently that “we’ll end up getting it”.
Writing on X, the maritime monitoring group said the Bella 1 has been “in transit for over a month” and, at an average speed of 11 knots, may have “approximately a month of fuel left unless her speed decreases”.
The group added the vessel is “likely traveling in a southeasterly direction towards South Africa”.
