🔗 Share this article Imagery Image Shows Initial Venezuelan Tanker Seized by US is Now Near Texas. American personnel roped onto the vessel of the Skipper on December 10th. Orbital data and vessel monitoring information has verified that the crude carrier Skipper – the initial vessel seized by the United States for reportedly carrying embargoed crude from Venezuela – is now positioned near of the state of Texas. Vantor orbital photographs from 21 December shows the ship is near the port of Galveston, while Automatic Identification System ship-tracking data from MarineTraffic presently places the Skipper about 50 miles from the coast. The Skipper was seized by US authorities on 10 December and has been sanctioned by several nations. When it was seized, it was falsely sailing under the ensign of Guyana. This interception was followed by the interception of a another tanker, the Centuries. This ship – unlike the Skipper – was not under official restrictions when it was taken into US custody. US authorities are now pursuing a third vessel, which has been identified by the maritime risk group a risk firm as the Bella 1. President Donald Trump stated yesterday that “it will ultimately be secured”. Writing on the social media platform X, the maritime monitoring group noted the vessel Bella 1 has been “in transit for 39 days” and, at an average speed of 11 knots, may have “approximately a month of fuel remaining unless her velocity decreases”. The monitoring service further stated the vessel is “probably heading south-east towards the South African coast”.