More information is emerging about the oil tanker seized by US forces on Wednesday.
According to US media, the vessel named ‘The Skipper’, formerly known as the Adisa, was sanctioned by the United States in 2022 for facilitating oil trades for Hezbollah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi has also confirmed that The Skipper was transporting sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran.
According to a CNN report, just last month, on November 18th, The Skipper was seen on satellite imagery docked approximately seven miles from the coastal Venezuelan city of Barcelona. However, the ship’s Automatic Identification System (AIS) transponder indicated that it was 560 miles away, off the coast of Georgetown, Guyana.
The tanker was also flying a Guyana flag, despite not being registered in Guyana.
Guyana’s Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) has since condemned this practice, noting the “proliferation and unacceptable trend of the unauthorised use of the Guyana flag by vessels that are not registered in Guyana.”
MARAD said it will “continue to reach out to and work with international partners and other maritime agencies to identify, pursue, and take firm action against any unauthorised use of the Guyana flag.”
