🔗 Share this article Satellite Data Shows Initial Venezuela-Linked Oil Ship Confiscated by American Authorities is Currently Near the Texas Coast. American personnel boarding the vessel of the tanker Skipper on December 10th. Satellite imagery and ship tracking information has verified that the crude carrier named Skipper – the first vessel apprehended by the US for reportedly transporting embargoed oil from the Venezuelan regime – is currently off the coast of Texas. Vantor satellite imagery dated 21 December indicates the ship is near the port of Galveston, while Automatic Identification System vessel-tracking data from a maritime data service presently positions the Skipper about 50 miles from the coast. The tanker Skipper was taken into custody by US authorities on 10 December and has been blacklisted by several nations. When it was intercepted, it was incorrectly sailing under the ensign of Guyana. This interception was followed by the capture of a second tanker, the Centuries tanker. This ship – unlike the Skipper – was not yet under sanctions when it was brought under US custody. American agencies are currently pursuing a third vessel, which has been named 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 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 “another 28 to 35 days of fuel remaining unless her velocity decreases”. The monitoring service further stated the tanker is “likely traveling south-east towards South Africa”.