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Satellite imagery and ship tracking information has confirmed that the crude carrier named Skipper – the initial vessel seized by the United States for reportedly carrying sanctioned oil from the Venezuelan regime – is now positioned near of Texas.

Vantor satellite imagery from 21 December shows the tanker is in the vicinity of Galveston, while Automatic Identification System vessel-tracking data from a maritime data service presently places the Skipper about 80km from the coast.

The tanker Skipper was seized by US authorities on the tenth of December and has been sanctioned by multiple nations. At the time it was seized, it was incorrectly sailing under the flag of Guyana.

This interception was succeeded by the capture of a another tanker, the Centuries tanker. It – unlike the Skipper – was not yet under official restrictions when it was taken into US custody.

American agencies are now targeting a third such vessel, which has been named by the risk management group a risk firm as the Bella 1. President Donald Trump stated recently that “we’ll end up getting it”.

Writing on X, the maritime monitoring group said the vessel Bella 1 has been “underway for 39 days” and, at an average speed of 11 knots, may have “approximately a month of diesel left unless her speed drops”.

The group added the tanker is “probably heading in a southeasterly direction towards South Africa”.