Cuba prepares for first Russian oil shipment of the year as fuel crisis intensifies

Havana — HAVANA (AP) — Cuba is preparing to receive its first shipment of Russian oil this year, just days after the government announced it would operate natural gas, solar power and thermoelectric plants as a crumbling power grid severely cuts power to the island.

The Russian-flagged Anatoly Kolodkin is about 3,000 nautical miles from Cuba in the Atlantic Ocean and is expected to reach the island in 10 days, University of Texas Energy Institute expert Jorge Piñon told The Associated Press.

If so, it will be the first time any oil shipment from any country has reached Cuba in the last three months given the US energy embargo.

Pinon said the tanker was carrying 730,000 barrels of fuel and was on a list of vessels of its type sanctioned by the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom after the war in Ukraine.

Another ship, the Hong Kong-flagged Sea Horse, was reportedly carrying Russian oil to Cuba, carrying about 200,000 barrels of diesel, Piñon said.

He noted that Cuba consumes approximately 20,000 barrels of diesel per day, and that the Sea Horse’s cargo would not necessarily meet the overall demand for diesel given the island’s low stockpiles.

Piñon believes the fuel can be used for “critical sectors of the economy” such as transportation and agriculture.

He said it would take four days for the Sea Horse to reach Cuba.

Piñon noted that the ship lingered in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean for 20 days before deciding to continue its west-southwest course. It is about 958 nautical miles from Matanzas, Cuba.

Difficulty tracking a ship’s destination has led some of these vessels — amid tensions over international sanctions or threats of capture by the United States — to turn off their satellite tracking devices, preventing effective monitoring, experts say.

If the arrival of either of the two vessels is confirmed, it would be the first shipment of Russian oil this year. The previous shipment was shipped by Ocean Mariner with 85,000 barrels from the port of Pajaritos, Mexico, on January 9.

On Thursday, Gen. Francis Donovan, head of the US Southern Command, said in Senate testimony that his officers were tracking a Russian destroyer in support of an oil “refueling vessel” scheduled to make a port call to Cuba. Even if the oiler unloads its cargo, it is unlikely to have any significant impact on Cuba’s oil supply, he said.

In response to a question from senators, Donovan said his command is not currently rehearsing any military intervention in Cuba and that its sole planning focus is protecting the US embassy and military base at Guantanamo Bay, although it could also respond to any immigration or humanitarian crisis in the Caribbean if necessary.

Cuba produces only 40% of its petroleum; The rest comes from Russia, Mexico and Venezuela.

But critical shipments from Venezuela were halted after the US attacked the South American country in early January and arrested President Nicolás Maduro, a key commercial and ideological partner of Cuba.

In late January, US President Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on any country that sells or supplies oil to Cuba. That month, Mexico halted oil shipments to Cuba.

The situation has deepened the island’s power and economic crisis, leading to 10-hour blackouts, forcing shorter working hours, limiting transportation and causing a decline in tourism — formerly one of its main sources of income.

The deteriorating situation has sparked minor protests.

Cuba has been experiencing a severe economic crisis since the beginning of this decade due to tight US sanctions, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and internal economic reforms that fueled inflation.

Food and medicine shortages are a reality for Cubans. Meanwhile, the crises have unleashed a surge in migration, particularly of young people and skilled workers, to the United States, Mexico and Europe.

This week, as part of an ongoing international convoy to help Cuba, European workers delivered more than four tons of medical supplies to the island. More aid is expected to arrive by plane on Friday and by a large flotilla on Saturday, including solar panels, medical supplies and non-perishable food collected by activists in Mexico. Among those expected to travel to Cuba on the flotilla are British Member of Parliament Jeremy Corbyn and popular Irish hip-hop trio NeeCop.

Trump says he’s ready to take Cuba by any means necessary; And the Cuban government, accepting negotiations with the United States, asserted its sovereignty.