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Satellite imagery and ship tracking data has confirmed that the oil tanker Skipper – the first vessel apprehended by the US for allegedly transporting sanctioned crude from Venezuela – is now off the coast of the state of Texas.

A satellite firm's orbital photographs dated 21 December indicates the ship is in the vicinity of Galveston, while AIS ship-tracking feeds from a maritime data service currently positions the Skipper about 80km offshore.

The tanker Skipper was taken into custody by US authorities on the tenth of December and has been blacklisted by multiple nations. When it was intercepted, it was falsely flying the flag of the nation of Guyana.

This seizure was succeeded by the capture of a second tanker, the Centuries tanker. It – unlike the Skipper – was not yet under sanctions when it was taken into US custody.

US authorities are currently pursuing a third such ship, which has been identified by the risk management group Vanguard as the Bella 1 tanker. President Donald Trump said yesterday that “it will ultimately be secured”.

Writing on X, the maritime monitoring group said the vessel Bella 1 has been “in transit for 39 days” and, at an typical pace of 11 nautical miles per hour, may have “another 28 to 35 days of fuel left unless her velocity decreases”.

The group added the vessel is “likely heading south-east towards the South African coast”.