Satellite Data Reveals Initial Venezuelan Oil Ship Seized by American Authorities is Now Near the Texas Coast.

Orbital data and ship tracking information has confirmed that the oil tanker named Skipper – the first vessel apprehended by the United States for allegedly carrying sanctioned oil from Venezuela – is now off the coast of Texas.

Vantor orbital photographs from 21 December indicates the tanker is near Galveston, while AIS ship-tracking data from MarineTraffic presently positions the Skipper about 80km from the coast.

The Skipper was seized by US authorities on 10 December and has been sanctioned by multiple governments. When it was seized, it was incorrectly sailing under the flag of the nation of Guyana.

This interception was followed by the capture of a second oil vessel, the Centuries tanker. This ship – in contrast to the first vessel – was not yet under official restrictions when it was taken into US custody.

US authorities are currently targeting a third such vessel, which has been identified by the risk management group a risk firm as the Bella 1 tanker. President Donald Trump said recently that “we’ll end up getting it”.

Writing on X, the TankerTrackers group noted the vessel Bella 1 has been “underway for over a month” and, at an average speed of 11 nautical miles per hour, may have “approximately a month of diesel remaining unless her velocity decreases”.

The group added the tanker is “probably traveling in a southeasterly direction towards the South African coast”.