Satellite Images Suggest Seized Tanker ‘Deliberately’ Manipulated Location Data

CARIBBEAN – A U.S. seized oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela may have been deliberately hiding its true location, in what experts describe as a sophisticated effort to evade international sanctions.

An ABC News analysis of satellite imagery and tracking data shows the crude oil tanker, known as The Skipper, appears to have manipulated its digital location signals, making it look as though it was operating near Guyana, when it was actually off Venezuela’s coast.

Tracking data from analytics firm KPLER placed the vessel near Guyana between November and December but more than a dozen satellite images reviewed by ABC News confirm The Skipper was operating near Barcelona, Venezuela, about 550 miles away.

Experts say the so-called “spoofed signals” point to a pattern of sanctions evasion, with images showing the tanker loading crude at Venezuela’s José oil terminal in mid-Vovember.

Analysts confirm the vessel covertly loaded more than one million barrels of oil with its transponder turned off, a practice known as “dark activity.”

The Skipper and it’s owner were sanctioned by the United states in 2022, over alleged ties to Iran and Hezbollah.

The findings underscore growing concerns about how sanctioned oil continues to move through global shipping networks, despite restrictions.