🔗 Share this article Imagery Data Reveals First Venezuela-Linked Oil Ship Seized by American Authorities is Now Off Texas. American personnel boarding the deck of the tanker Skipper on December 10th. Satellite imagery and ship tracking data has confirmed that the crude carrier named Skipper – the initial vessel apprehended by the United States for allegedly transporting embargoed oil from the Venezuelan regime – is currently positioned near of the state of Texas. A satellite firm's satellite imagery from 21 December indicates the tanker is near the port of Galveston, while AIS ship-tracking feeds from a maritime data service presently places 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 incorrectly sailing under the flag of Guyana. This seizure was followed by the interception of a another tanker, the Centuries tanker. It – unlike the Skipper – was not under sanctions when it was brought under American control. American agencies are now targeting a third such vessel, which has been named by the risk management group Vanguard as the Bella 1. The US President said recently that “we’ll end up getting it”. Writing on X, the maritime monitoring group noted the vessel Bella 1 has been “underway for 39 days” and, at an typical pace of 11 knots, may have “another 28 to 35 days of fuel left unless her speed decreases”. The group added the vessel is “probably traveling south-east towards South Africa”.