Imagery Image Shows Initial Venezuelan Oil Ship Seized by American Authorities is Now Near Texas.

Orbital data and ship tracking information has verified that the crude carrier named Skipper – the initial vessel apprehended by the United States for reportedly carrying sanctioned crude from the Venezuelan regime – is currently off the coast of the state of Texas.

A satellite firm's orbital photographs from 21 December shows the tanker is in the vicinity of Galveston, while AIS vessel-tracking data from MarineTraffic currently places the vessel about 50 miles from the coast.

The Skipper was taken into custody by US authorities on 10 December and has been sanctioned by multiple nations. When it was seized, it was falsely flying the flag of Guyana.

This interception was followed by the capture of a another tanker, the Centuries. This ship – unlike the first vessel – was not under sanctions when it was brought under US custody.

American agencies are currently targeting a third such vessel, which has been identified by the risk management group Vanguard as the Bella 1 tanker. The US President stated yesterday that “it will ultimately be secured”.

Writing on X, the TankerTrackers group noted the vessel Bella 1 has been “in transit for 39 days” and, at an typical pace of 11 nautical miles per hour, may have “approximately a month of fuel remaining unless her velocity decreases”.

The monitoring service added the vessel is “likely heading south-east towards the South African coast”.