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Satellite imagery and vessel monitoring information has confirmed that the crude carrier named Skipper – the initial vessel seized by the US for allegedly transporting sanctioned oil from the Venezuelan regime – is now positioned near of the state of Texas.

Vantor satellite imagery from 21 December indicates the tanker is in the vicinity of the port of Galveston, while Automatic Identification System ship-tracking data from a maritime data service currently places the Skipper about 80km offshore.

The tanker Skipper was seized by American officials on the tenth of December and has been blacklisted by several governments. When it was seized, it was incorrectly flying the ensign of the nation of Guyana.

This seizure was succeeded by the interception of a another oil vessel, the Centuries tanker. This ship – in contrast to the first vessel – was not under official restrictions when it was brought under US custody.

American agencies are currently targeting a third ship, which has been named by the maritime risk group a risk firm as the Bella 1. President Donald Trump stated yesterday that “we’ll end up getting it”.

Writing on the social media platform X, the TankerTrackers group noted the Bella 1 has been “underway for over a month” and, at an average speed of 11 nautical miles per hour, may have “another 28 to 35 days of fuel left unless her velocity drops”.

The group further stated the vessel is “probably heading in a southeasterly direction towards South Africa”.