We used to load product from foreign flag processors anchored off-shore in Alaska. Here’s a photo I took of the ship I was on from a Russian ship.
Here’s the same Russian ship but photo is from our deck.
I don’t recall the location this ship was anchored, far enough off-shore there was no land in sight.
I don’t have any photos but we did the same thing with American vessels, including the big trawlers. Not just the Gulf but the Bering Sea.
EDIT: Actually I don’t think we ever did this except west of Kodiak so technically not in the Gulf.