🛰 A Tanker Caught in the Shadows
The oil tanker seized by U.S. forces this week has a long history of concealing its real position, according to global ship-tracking data.
Tracking records show the vessel—identified as Skipper—routinely manipulated its location to hide its movements across Iran, China, and Venezuela.
 |
| 🚢 Shadow Moves: How a Sanctioned Tanker Hid Its True Location from Iran to China to Venezuela |
The U.S. military boarded the ship during a helicopter-led operation near Venezuela’s coast. BBC Verify confirmed the ship’s identity by matching footage from U.S. forces with reference images from TankerTrackers.com.
But before its seizure, the Skipper had not reported a genuine location since 7 November, leaving a digital trail full of gaps.
🛢 Why the Ship Was Sanctioned
U.S. officials describe the tanker as a crude oil carrier used to transport sanctioned oil from Iran and Venezuela.
The ship was sanctioned in 2022 under its former name, Adisa, and linked to an international oil-smuggling network.
Although it falsely flew the Guyana flag, the Guyanese government clarified that the vessel was never registered under its flag—a common tactic among ships in the “dark fleet”.
Experts say the Skipper belongs to this global network of tankers that obscure ownership and falsify voyage data to evade sanctions.
📡 How the Tanker Hid Its Real Location
Under UN rules, large vessels must broadcast real-time location data through AIS (Automatic Identification System).
However, data from MarineTraffic and Kpler shows the Skipper spoofed its coordinates, often pretending to be thousands of miles away.
False Position Records Included:
- Reporting presence in Iraq’s Basrah Oil Terminal, even though it was not logged there
- Actually loading crude at Kharg Island, Iran
- Later performing a ship-to-ship transfer near Asia
- Offloading cargo in China, reportedly under a false declaration
Satellite imagery confirmed the tanker was in Venezuela’s Port of Jose on 18 November, even though it remained invisible on public trackers.
Between 28 October and 4 December, analysts say the vessel transmitted manipulated AIS signals.
⚠ Why These Tactics Are Used
Sanctions on Venezuelan and Iranian oil have pushed many tankers into covert operations.
Common tricks include:
- Turning off AIS entirely
- Broadcasting fake positions (spoofing)
- Using false flags
- Ship-to-ship transfers in open waters
- Declaring oil cargo under another country’s origin
These methods help smuggling networks avoid detection, especially when delivering oil to buyers in Asia.
🔄 Suspicious Transfers at Sea
Kpler analysts say the Skipper transferred at least 1.1 million barrels of Merey crude in November.
Days before its capture, it conducted another ship-to-ship transfer off Venezuela’s coast, seen clearly via satellite images.
Although ship-to-ship transfers are not illegal, experts say they are “highly unusual” unless a vessel is hiding something.
Venezuela’s poor refining capacity has increased its reliance on partners like Russia and Iran, making such covert exchanges more frequent.
🏢 Who Really Owns the Skipper?
Ship-tracking platforms list the following:
- Beneficial Owner: Thomarose Global Ventures Ltd (Nigeria)
- Registered Owner: Triton Navigation Corp (Marshall Islands)
However, U.S. authorities previously accused Triton of being part of a network operated by sanctioned Russian oil magnate Viktor Artemov, connected to smuggling Iranian oil worldwide.
BBC Verify is currently seeking comments from the companies involved.