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Orbital data and vessel monitoring data has verified that the oil tanker Skipper – the first vessel apprehended by the US for allegedly carrying embargoed crude from the Venezuelan regime – is now off the coast of the state of Texas.

Vantor satellite imagery dated 21 December indicates the ship is in the vicinity of the port of Galveston, while AIS vessel-tracking data from a maritime data service presently places the vessel about 80km offshore.

The tanker Skipper was taken into custody by US authorities on 10 December and has been sanctioned by several nations. When it was seized, it was incorrectly sailing under the ensign of the nation of Guyana.

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

US authorities are now pursuing a third such ship, which has been named by the risk management group Vanguard as the Bella 1 tanker. President Donald Trump said 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 39 days” and, at an typical pace of 11 knots, may have “another 28 to 35 days of diesel remaining unless her speed decreases”.

The monitoring service further stated the vessel is “likely traveling in a southeasterly direction towards the South African coast”.