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Satellite imagery and ship tracking information has verified that the crude carrier named Skipper – the initial vessel apprehended by the US for reportedly carrying sanctioned oil from Venezuela – is currently positioned near of Texas.

A satellite firm's orbital photographs from 21 December indicates the tanker is in the vicinity of the port of Galveston, while AIS vessel-tracking feeds from MarineTraffic presently positions the vessel about 80km offshore.

The Skipper was taken into custody by US authorities on 10 December and has been sanctioned by multiple nations. When it was intercepted, it was falsely flying the ensign of Guyana.

This interception was succeeded by the capture of a another tanker, the Centuries. This ship – unlike the first vessel – was not under official restrictions when it was brought under US custody.

US authorities are currently pursuing a third such vessel, which has been identified by the risk management group a risk firm as the Bella 1 tanker. President Donald Trump stated recently that “we’ll end up getting it”.

Writing on X, the TankerTrackers group said the Bella 1 has been “in transit for 39 days” and, at an typical pace of 11 knots, may have “approximately a month of fuel left unless her velocity drops”.

The monitoring service further stated the vessel is “likely heading in a southeasterly direction towards South Africa”.