🔗 Share this article

Satellite imagery and vessel monitoring data has confirmed that the crude carrier Skipper – the first vessel seized by the United States for reportedly carrying sanctioned oil from Venezuela – is currently off the coast of Texas.

Vantor orbital photographs dated 21 December shows the tanker is in the vicinity of Galveston, while Automatic Identification System ship-tracking data from a maritime data service currently positions the vessel about 80km offshore.

The Skipper was seized by US authorities on the tenth of December and has been sanctioned by several nations. When it was intercepted, it was incorrectly sailing under the flag of the nation of Guyana.

This interception was followed by the capture of a second tanker, the Centuries tanker. This ship – in contrast to the Skipper – was not under sanctions when it was brought under American control.

American agencies are currently targeting a third such ship, which has been identified by the risk management group a risk firm as the Bella 1. President Donald Trump said recently that “it will ultimately be secured”.

Writing on the social media platform X, the TankerTrackers group noted the Bella 1 has been “in transit for over a month” and, at an typical pace of 11 nautical miles per hour, may have “approximately a month of diesel left unless her speed decreases”.

The group added the vessel is “likely traveling in a southeasterly direction towards South Africa”.