🔗 Share this article

Orbital data and vessel monitoring information has verified that the crude carrier named Skipper – the first vessel seized by the United States for allegedly carrying sanctioned oil from Venezuela – is now positioned near of Texas.

A satellite firm's satellite imagery from 21 December indicates the tanker is near Galveston, while Automatic Identification System ship-tracking feeds from MarineTraffic presently places the vessel about 80km offshore.

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

This interception was followed by the capture of a another oil vessel, the Centuries tanker. It – in contrast to the first vessel – was not yet under sanctions when it was taken into American control.

American agencies are now targeting a third ship, which has been named by the risk management group Vanguard as the Bella 1. The US President said recently that “it will ultimately be secured”.

Writing on the social media platform X, the maritime monitoring group noted the Bella 1 has been “underway for 39 days” and, at an typical pace of 11 knots, may have “another 28 to 35 days of diesel remaining unless her velocity decreases”.

The group further stated the tanker is “probably traveling south-east towards South Africa”.