Satellite Analysis Reveals Possible Manipulation of Tanker's Location Data

An extensive review by ABC News of satellite visuals and tracking information indicates the oil tanker apprehended by U.S. authorities near Venezuela's coast may have employed deceptive means to alter its positional data. Experts suggest this maneuver was potentially designed to bypass sanction constraints.

The vessel, identified as "The Skipper," was subject to U.S. sanctions in 2022, as detailed by individuals with knowledge of the incident.

Data from broadcasts emitted by the ship's transponder, as monitored by analytics firm Kpler, initially positioned the Skipper in the maritime zones of Guyana during the months of November and December. Contradictorily, a series of over a dozen satellite photographs verified by ABC News located the ship in waters off Barcelona, Venezuela, approximately 550 miles away, during the same timeframe.

Dimitris Ampatzidis, a senior manager specializing in risk and compliance at Kpler, described this act as a "pattern of intentional misinformation." He remarked to ABC News that these "forged signals" potentially illustrate a larger framework of evasion techniques regarding sanctions logistics.

US Authorities Intercept Tanker Near Venezuela

Images procured from two satellite providers seemingly depict the Skipper engaging in the loading of oil barrels at the José Oil Terminal in Venezuela on November 14. A subsequent sighting was recorded by Planet Labs four days later, on November 18.

TankerTrackers.com, a firm tracking global oil shipping operations, also captured imagery of the Skipper at the José terminal in the same time window.

Throughout late October and early December, satellite evidence repeatedly placed the Skipper off the coast of Barcelona, even as its transmitted location data was allegedly being falsified.

Matt Smith, an analyst with Kpler, stated to ABC News that in mid-November, the vessel secretly amassed 1.1 million barrels of heavy sour Merey crude without activating its transponder, thus remaining discreet.

Smith added that the Skipper has previously exhibited "blackout activities," a term used to describe ships that disable their transponder systems while in operation.

An in-depth review by TankerTrackers.com, using satellite data from February 2025, traced the Skipper's course off the shores of Iran and China from March to September.

Projections from this analysis indicate the Skipper transported approximately 1.87 million barrels of oil from Iran to China in February, with an additional 1.95 million barrels shipped again in July.

In October, the tanker was reported near Madagascar, followed by a voyage across the Atlantic Ocean.

The vessel was next observed north of Trinidad before advancing toward Venezuela on October 29, where it remained off Barcelona for over a month.

MarineTraffic, a tracking service operated by Kpler, detailed that the registered owner of the Skipper is Triton Navigation Corporation, while its beneficial ownership is attributed to Thomarose Global Ventures. In 2022, Triton Navigation and the Skipper, previously named Adisa, were sanctioned by the U.S. due to suspected links with Hezbollah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force.