US Forces Seize Oil Tanker with Inconsistent Location Data
US forces conducted a helicopter-launched raid near the coast of Venezuela on Wednesday, seizing an oil tanker. BBC Verify identified the vessel as the Skipper by matching visual evidence from US-released footage with reference photos. Prior to its seizure, public ship tracking data indicated an incomplete record of the Skipper's movements, with its last declared position recorded on November 7.
History of Concealed Movements and Sanctions
Analysis by maritime analytics firm Kpler suggested the vessel had previously engaged in ship-to-ship transfers and instances of falsifying its position through its onboard tracker, a practice known as spoofing. US Attorney General Pam Bondi stated the vessel was a "crude oil tanker used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran."
The US Treasury Department initially sanctioned the ship in 2022 when it operated under the name Adisa, citing its alleged involvement in an "international oil smuggling network." Although the Skipper sailed under the flag of Guyana, the Guyanese government issued a statement clarifying that the tanker was "falsely flying the Guyana Flag" and was not registered in Guyana. Experts consulted by BBC Verify indicated that the Skipper likely operated within the "dark fleet," a global network of oil tankers reportedly seeking to evade oil sanctions by obscuring their ownership, identities, and travel histories.
Automatic Identification System (AIS) Discrepancies
Under international treaty, ships above a specific tonnage are required to operate an Automatic Identification System (AIS), which broadcasts location and other information. Public records of the Skipper's AIS data, however, were incomplete and showed inconsistencies.
MarineTraffic, a public tracking site, recorded the Skipper's last known port call as Soroosh, Iran, on July 9, following stops in Iraq and the UAE. Kpler, however, indicated this was part of a pattern of misleading entries. Kpler analysts reported that the vessel had loaded crude oil from Venezuela and Iran while simultaneously falsifying its position via AIS spoofing. Venezuelan oil exports have been subject to US sanctions since 2019.
Kpler noted that while the vessel's AIS showed it at Iraq's Basrah Oil Terminal on July 7 and 8, terminal reports did not register its presence. Instead, Kpler data suggested the Skipper loaded crude oil at Kharg Island in Iran. Subsequently, tracking data indicated the Skipper sailed east, where Kpler reported a ship-to-ship transfer between August 11 and 13. The cargo was then unloaded in China, with its declaration reportedly inconsistent with observed movements, according to Kpler.
The vessel then returned via Iran, sailing towards the Caribbean. Its last declared AIS position was on November 7, off the coast of Guyana. The onboard AIS signal reappeared on December 10, following the US raid.
Unreported Port Calls and Transfers
During the period between November 7 and December 10, satellite images identified by TankerTrackers.com and verified by BBC Verify showed the Skipper present in the Port of Jose, Venezuela, on November 18, a time when it was not appearing on public tracking sites. Analysts reported that it has become common for ships to use spoofing or conceal their positions while loading oil in Venezuela since sanctions were imposed.
Kpler analysts stated that the ship loaded "at least 1.1 million barrels of Merey crude" by November 16 at the Jose terminal, with Cuba reportedly listed as the destination. Further satellite images observed by Kpler suggested another ship-to-ship transfer involving the Skipper on December 7, days before US forces boarded the vessel. This transfer reportedly occurred off the coast of Venezuela, near the city of Barcelona, despite MarineTraffic data having previously shown the Skipper off the coast of Guyana weeks earlier.
Kpler stated that such activities, often involving transfers off the coast of Malaysia before oil is imported into China, are not uncommon for Venezuelan oil exports seeking to circumvent sanctions. Frederik Van Lokeren, a former Belgian naval lieutenant and analyst, described such ship-to-ship transfers as "extremely uncommon" and often indicative of vessels attempting to evade sanctions by transferring oil to ships not publicly associated with illicit activities. Van Lokeren also noted that Venezuela's refining capacity has degraded, leading to a reliance on allies like Iran and Russia for converting crude oil into more commercially viable products.