🔗 Share this article Imagery Image Reveals Initial Venezuela-Linked Tanker Confiscated by American Authorities is Now Off the Texas Coast. American agents roped onto the vessel of the Skipper on December 10th. Orbital data and vessel monitoring information has confirmed that the crude carrier Skipper – the first vessel apprehended by the US for allegedly transporting embargoed oil from the Venezuelan regime – is now positioned near of the state of Texas. A satellite firm's orbital photographs dated 21 December shows the ship is in the vicinity of Galveston, while Automatic Identification System vessel-tracking data from MarineTraffic currently places the Skipper about 50 miles offshore. The Skipper was taken into custody by American officials on the tenth of December and has been sanctioned by multiple nations. When it was intercepted, it was incorrectly sailing under the ensign of the nation of Guyana. This interception was followed by the interception of a second tanker, the Centuries tanker. It – unlike the Skipper – was not under official restrictions when it was taken into US custody. US authorities are now targeting a third such ship, which has been identified by the maritime risk group a risk firm as the Bella 1. The US President stated recently that “we’ll end up getting it”. Writing on X, the maritime monitoring group said the Bella 1 has been “underway for over a month” and, at an typical pace of 11 knots, may have “approximately a month of diesel remaining unless her speed drops”. The monitoring service further stated the vessel is “probably heading in a southeasterly direction towards South Africa”.