Satellite Data Reveals First Venezuela-Linked Oil Ship Seized by US is Now Off Texas.
US agents roped onto the deck of the tanker Skipper on December 10th.
Orbital data and ship tracking data has verified that the oil tanker named Skipper – the initial vessel seized by the US for allegedly transporting embargoed crude from the Venezuelan regime – is currently positioned near of Texas.
A satellite firm's orbital photographs from 21 December indicates the ship is near the port of Galveston, while Automatic Identification System vessel-tracking data from a maritime data service presently places the Skipper about 50 miles from the coast.
The Skipper was seized by US authorities on the tenth of December and has been sanctioned by several nations. At the time it was intercepted, it was incorrectly sailing under the flag of the nation of Guyana.
This interception was succeeded by the capture of a second tanker, the Centuries. This ship – in contrast to the first vessel – was not under official restrictions when it was taken into American control.
US authorities are currently pursuing a third ship, which has been identified by the maritime risk group a risk firm as the Bella 1. The US President said recently that “it will ultimately be secured”.
Writing on X, the maritime monitoring group said the vessel Bella 1 has been “in transit for over a month” and, at an typical pace of 11 nautical miles per hour, may have “another 28 to 35 days of fuel remaining unless her speed decreases”.
The monitoring service added the tanker is “likely traveling south-east towards South Africa”.
