🔗 Share this article Imagery Image Reveals First Venezuelan Oil Ship Seized by US is Currently Near the Texas Coast. US agents boarding the deck of the tanker Skipper on December 10th. Satellite imagery and vessel monitoring data has verified that the crude carrier named Skipper – the first vessel apprehended by the United States for allegedly carrying sanctioned crude from the Venezuelan regime – is currently off the coast of the state of Texas. A satellite firm's satellite imagery dated 21 December shows the tanker is in the vicinity of Galveston, while AIS ship-tracking feeds from a maritime data service presently places the Skipper about 80km offshore. The tanker Skipper was seized by American officials on 10 December and has been sanctioned by multiple nations. At the time it was intercepted, it was incorrectly sailing under the flag of the nation of Guyana. This interception was succeeded by the capture of a another tanker, the Centuries tanker. This ship – unlike the first vessel – was not under sanctions when it was taken into American control. American agencies are currently pursuing a third vessel, which has been identified by the risk management group Vanguard as the Bella 1 tanker. President Donald Trump stated yesterday that “it will ultimately be secured”. Writing on the social media platform X, the maritime monitoring group said the 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 left unless her velocity drops”. The group added the tanker is “probably traveling in a southeasterly direction towards the South African coast”.