Imagery Image Reveals First Venezuelan Tanker Confiscated by US is Now Off the Texas Coast.

Orbital data and ship tracking data has verified that the crude carrier named Skipper – the first vessel seized by the US for allegedly transporting embargoed oil from the Venezuelan regime – is now off the coast of Texas.

Vantor satellite imagery dated 21 December shows the tanker is in the vicinity of the port of Galveston, while AIS ship-tracking feeds from MarineTraffic currently positions the vessel about 50 miles offshore.

The Skipper was taken into custody by American officials on 10 December and has been blacklisted by several governments. When it was seized, it was falsely sailing under the flag of the nation of Guyana.

This seizure was succeeded by the interception of a second tanker, the Centuries tanker. This ship – unlike the first vessel – was not under sanctions when it was taken into American control.

US authorities are now pursuing a third vessel, which has been named by the risk management group a risk firm as the Bella 1. The US President said yesterday that “it will ultimately be secured”.

Writing on the social media platform X, the TankerTrackers group said the vessel 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 remaining unless her speed drops”.

The group added the vessel is “probably heading south-east towards South Africa”.