The big crude oil tanker that U.S. forces seized Wednesday off the coast of Venezuela since 2024 has shown a “clear pattern” of spoofing its location to hide where it actually was, according to a leading energy consulting firm.
And data suggests that the Guyana-flagged tanker identified as Skippe” since 2022 has carried sanctioned oil from Iran and Venezuela.
The oil industries of both nations are under U.S. sanctions, and Skipper has been under sanction by the Office of Foreign Assets Control since 2022.
Matt Smith, head U.S. analyst at the consulting firm Kpler said Skipper was covertly loaded with 1.1 million barrels of oil in mid-November.
Smith said the ship appeared to be headed for Cuba, though it has been stopped offshore Venezuela since it was loaded.
