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Orbital data and ship tracking data has confirmed that the crude carrier named Skipper – the first vessel seized by the United States for allegedly transporting sanctioned crude from the Venezuelan regime – is now positioned near of Texas.

A satellite firm's satellite imagery from 21 December shows the tanker is in the vicinity of the port of Galveston, while AIS ship-tracking feeds from a maritime data service currently places the Skipper about 50 miles offshore.

The Skipper was seized by US authorities on the tenth of December and has been sanctioned by several governments. When it was seized, it was incorrectly flying the ensign of Guyana.

This seizure was succeeded by the capture of a second tanker, the Centuries. It – in contrast to the Skipper – was not under sanctions when it was brought under American control.

American agencies are now targeting a third such ship, which has been identified by the maritime risk group Vanguard as the Bella 1. The US President stated recently that “it will ultimately be secured”.

Writing on X, the TankerTrackers group noted the Bella 1 has been “in transit for over a month” and, at an average speed of 11 knots, may have “another 28 to 35 days of fuel left unless her velocity decreases”.

The group further stated the vessel is “likely heading in a southeasterly direction towards the South African coast”.