🔗 Share this article Satellite Image Shows First Venezuela-Linked Tanker Confiscated by American Authorities is Currently Near the Texas Coast. US agents boarding the deck of the tanker Skipper on December 10th. Orbital data and ship tracking data has verified that the crude carrier named Skipper – the first vessel apprehended by the United States for reportedly carrying embargoed crude from the Venezuelan regime – is currently positioned near of the state of Texas. Vantor satellite imagery from 21 December indicates the tanker is near the port of Galveston, while AIS vessel-tracking feeds from a maritime data service currently positions the vessel about 80km offshore. The Skipper was taken into custody by American officials on 10 December and has been sanctioned by multiple nations. When it was intercepted, it was falsely sailing under the ensign of Guyana. This seizure was succeeded by the interception of a second oil vessel, the Centuries tanker. This ship – unlike the Skipper – was not under official restrictions when it was taken into US custody. US authorities are currently pursuing a third such vessel, which has been named by the risk management group a risk firm as the Bella 1 tanker. The US President stated recently that “we’ll end up getting it”. Writing on X, the maritime monitoring group said the vessel Bella 1 has been “underway for over a month” and, at an typical pace of 11 nautical miles per hour, may have “approximately a month of fuel left unless her velocity drops”. The group further stated the vessel is “likely traveling in a southeasterly direction towards South Africa”.