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Satellite imagery and vessel monitoring data has confirmed that the oil tanker named Skipper – the first vessel apprehended by the United States for reportedly transporting sanctioned oil from the Venezuelan regime – is currently positioned near of Texas.

A satellite firm's satellite imagery from 21 December indicates the tanker is in the vicinity of Galveston, while Automatic Identification System vessel-tracking data from MarineTraffic presently places the vessel about 80km offshore.

The Skipper was taken into custody by American officials on the tenth of December and has been blacklisted by several nations. At the time it was seized, it was falsely sailing under the ensign of Guyana.

This seizure was followed by the interception of a another tanker, the Centuries tanker. This ship – unlike the first vessel – was not under sanctions when it was taken into American control.

American agencies are currently pursuing a third such vessel, which has been identified by the maritime risk group a risk firm as the Bella 1. The US President stated yesterday that “it will ultimately be secured”.

Writing on the social media platform X, the TankerTrackers group said the vessel Bella 1 has been “in transit for 39 days” and, at an typical pace of 11 knots, may have “another 28 to 35 days of fuel remaining unless her velocity drops”.

The monitoring service added the vessel is “probably traveling in a southeasterly direction towards South Africa”.