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Orbital data and vessel monitoring data has verified that the crude carrier named Skipper – the initial vessel apprehended by the US for allegedly transporting embargoed crude from Venezuela – is now positioned near of the state of Texas.

A satellite firm's orbital photographs from 21 December indicates the ship is in the vicinity of the port of Galveston, while Automatic Identification System ship-tracking data from MarineTraffic presently places the Skipper about 80km from the coast.

The Skipper was seized by American officials on the tenth of December and has been blacklisted by several governments. When it was intercepted, it was falsely sailing under the ensign of Guyana.

This interception was followed by the capture of a second tanker, the Centuries. This ship – in contrast to the first vessel – was not yet under sanctions when it was taken into US custody.

American agencies are now pursuing a third such ship, which has been identified by the risk management group Vanguard as the Bella 1. President Donald Trump said recently that “it will ultimately be secured”.

Writing on the social media platform X, the maritime monitoring 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 left unless her speed decreases”.

The monitoring service further stated the vessel is “likely traveling south-east towards South Africa”.