A Russian oil tanker approaches Cuba in defiance of a US embargo
Russian oil tanker is covered by US sanctions to Cuba on Monday, in defiance of a US blockade on the island, which suffers from a severe energy shortage, according to shipping company data.
The tanker was "Anatoly Kolodkin" Loaded with 730,000 barrels of crude oil, it was located north of Haiti on Sunday on its way to the port of Matanzas in western Cuba, according to the company. "Kepler" For marine data analytics.
Cuba lost its main regional ally and oil supplier in January when US forces arrested Venezuelan socialist President Nicolas Maduro and transferred him to the United States.
Imposing customs duties
US President Donald Trump later threatened to impose customs duties on any country that exports oil to Cuba, and spoke of the possibility "control" On the communist island.
An expert in the Cuban energy sector at the University of Texas at Austin, Jorge Binion, expressed his surprise that the United States did not try to intercept the Russian oil tanker before it approached Cuba.
Binion told Agence France-Presse. "I think the chances of the United States stopping it are completely gone"Note that it is difficult to predict what the White House might do, he added.
He explained that once the ship entered Cuban waters "It is almost impossible for the US government to stop it"
An urgent need for diesel
The Cuban government says it has not received any oil since January, exacerbating the energy crisis in the country of 9.6 million people.
President Miguel Diaz-Canel imposed emergency measures to rationalize fuel consumption, including strict gasoline rationing.Fuel prices increased significantly, public transportation services declined, and some airlines suspended their flights to Cuba.
Power outages
Seven power outages have been recorded nationwide since 2024, two of them this month.
The tanker was loaded. "Anatoly Kolodkin" It was accompanied by a Russian Navy ship in the English Channel, but the two ships separated when the tanker entered the Atlantic Ocean, according to the British Royal Navy.
It was reported that another ship flying the Hong Kong flag, the "Sea Horse" Loaded with Russian diesel, it was on its way to Cuba, but stopped in Venezuela earlier this week.
Benion said that once the tanker arrived "Anatoly Kolodkin" To Cuba, it would take between 15 and 20 days to refine the oil, as well as another 5 to 10 days to deliver its refined products.
Urgent need
The former oil executive added that "The urgent need today in Cuba is for diesel"
The Russian shipment can be converted into 250,000 barrels of diesel, which is enough to cover the country’s needs for approximately 12.5 days, according to Bennion.
He explained that the government will have to determine whether it will use the fuel to operate backup power generators or buses, tractors and trains needed to sustain economic activity for two weeks.
He said. "If I were Diaz-Canel or someone else in a decision-making position, I would wonder where I would use this diesel? …Do I want to generate more electricity to compensate for power outages, or do I want to direct it to the transportation sector?".
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