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Satellite imagery and vessel monitoring data has confirmed that the oil tanker named Skipper – the initial vessel apprehended by the United States for reportedly carrying embargoed crude from Venezuela – is currently off the coast of the state of Texas.

Vantor satellite imagery from 21 December indicates the ship is in the vicinity of the port of Galveston, while Automatic Identification System vessel-tracking data from MarineTraffic currently positions the Skipper about 50 miles offshore.

The tanker Skipper was taken into custody by American officials on the tenth of December and has been sanctioned by multiple nations. At the time it was seized, it was incorrectly flying the ensign of Guyana.

This seizure was followed by the interception of a second oil vessel, the Centuries tanker. This ship – unlike the Skipper – was not under sanctions when it was brought under US custody.

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

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 “approximately a month of diesel remaining unless her speed decreases”.

The group further stated the tanker is “likely traveling south-east towards the South African coast”.