Imagery Image Shows Initial Venezuela-Linked Oil Ship Seized by US is Currently Off Texas.
American agents roped onto the deck of the tanker Skipper on December 10th.
Orbital data and vessel monitoring data has verified that the crude carrier named Skipper – the first vessel seized by the US for reportedly carrying sanctioned oil from the Venezuelan regime – is now positioned near of Texas.
A satellite firm's satellite imagery dated 21 December indicates the ship is in the vicinity of the port of Galveston, while Automatic Identification System vessel-tracking feeds from MarineTraffic presently positions the Skipper about 50 miles offshore.
The tanker Skipper was taken into custody by American officials on 10 December and has been sanctioned by multiple nations. When it was intercepted, it was incorrectly sailing under the flag of Guyana.
This seizure was succeeded by the capture of a another oil vessel, the Centuries. It – unlike the Skipper – was not yet under official restrictions when it was brought under US custody.
US authorities are now targeting a third such vessel, which has been named by the maritime risk group Vanguard as the Bella 1 tanker. The US President stated yesterday that “it will ultimately be secured”.
Writing on the social media platform X, the TankerTrackers group said the vessel Bella 1 has been “underway for 39 days” and, at an average speed of 11 knots, may have “approximately a month of diesel remaining unless her velocity decreases”.
The group further stated the tanker is “likely heading in a southeasterly direction towards South Africa”.
