🔗 Share this article Imagery Image Reveals First Venezuela-Linked Oil Ship Seized by US is Currently Off Texas. American agents roped onto the deck of the tanker Skipper on 10 December. Orbital data and vessel monitoring data has verified that the oil tanker named Skipper – the first vessel apprehended by the United States for reportedly transporting sanctioned crude from Venezuela – is currently off the coast of Texas. A satellite firm's orbital photographs dated 21 December indicates the ship is near the port of Galveston, while Automatic Identification System ship-tracking feeds from MarineTraffic presently places the vessel about 80km offshore. The Skipper was seized by American officials on 10 December and has been sanctioned by several nations. At the time it was seized, it was falsely sailing under the ensign of Guyana. This seizure was succeeded by the interception of a another oil vessel, the Centuries. It – in contrast to the first vessel – was not under sanctions when it was taken into US custody. US authorities are now targeting a third ship, which has been identified by the maritime risk group Vanguard as the Bella 1. President Donald Trump 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 over a month” and, at an typical pace of 11 knots, may have “approximately a month of diesel left unless her speed decreases”. The group added the vessel is “probably traveling in a southeasterly direction towards South Africa”.