A Russia-flagged tanker carrying about 700,000 barrels of crude has arrived in Cuba’s Matanzas Bay, marking the first major oil delivery to the island since the Trump administration cut off its fuel supplies.
The vessel, Anatoly Kolodkin, which is under U.S. sanctions, entered Cuban territorial waters late on Sunday near the U.S. naval base at Guantánamo Bay. Washington said it had permitted the shipment on humanitarian grounds.
The Aframax tanker reached Cuba’s main fuel storage port at sunrise under mostly clear skies and light winds, appearing to prepare for offloading. At the time, large parts of the nearby city and much of the country were without electricity.
"This is like a drop of water in the desert," said Matanzas resident Marino Gálvez, 66, who watched the ship from the city’s waterfront boulevard.
"What's being done to us is very unfair, and the people shouldn't have to pay for any government's policies."
Cuba has gone three months without receiving an oil tanker, according to President Miguel Díaz-Canel, worsening an energy crisis that has led to repeated nationwide blackouts affecting healthcare, public transport and agriculture.
Once refined, the shipment is expected to give Cuba’s Communist-run government some temporary relief as it faces increasing pressure from the administration of President Donald Trump, which has pledged change in Cuba.
However, it will take several days before the crude can be processed into usable fuel.
The tanker is carrying Russian Urals crude, a medium sour grade well suited to Cuba’s ageing refineries.
The United States halted Venezuelan oil exports to Cuba after capturing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on 3 January and later threatened heavy tariffs on countries supplying crude to the island.
Mexico, previously one of Cuba’s largest suppliers alongside Venezuela, subsequently halted its shipments.
Asked whether more Russian deliveries could follow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “In the desperate situation that Cubans now find themselves in, this, of course, cannot leave us indifferent, so we will continue to work on this.”
The Trump administration said on Monday that any future oil shipments to Cuba would be reviewed on a “case-by-case” basis.
A drone strike caused a fire at the Barakah nuclear power plant in the UAE, officials said on Sunday, with ...
As cities increasingly take on greater geopolitical significance amidst conflicts, climate change and shifting ...
China has launched the world’s first experiment to study how artificial human embryos develop in space, mark...
Iran and Pakistan reviewed bilateral ties and the latest developments in the stalled Iran-U.S. peace negotiations mediated by Islamabad, as Tehran ...
The World Urban Forum (WUF13) continues in Baku, Azerbaijan on 18 May, addressing the global housing crisis. The day’s agenda includes the of...
Bulgaria has won the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time, taking victory in a final overshadowed by a boycott over Israel’s participation and the war in Gaza.
At least eight people were injured after a driver rammed a car into pedestrians in the northern Italian city of Modena, authorities said on Saturday. Four of the victims were reported to be in serious condition.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington could destroy Iran’s infrastructure “in two days,” while Tehran warned the U.S. would face growing economic costs from the conflict. The remarks came as Hezbollah reported new attacks on Israeli forces despite an extended Lebanon ceasefire.
At least eight people have died and 32 others were injured after a freight train collided with a public bus at a railway crossing in Bangkok on Saturday (16 May), triggering a fire that quickly spread through the vehicle.
The World Urban Forum (WUF13) continues in Baku, Azerbaijan on 18 May, addressing the global housing crisis. The day’s agenda includes the official opening press conference, the WUF13 Urban Expo opening and a ministerial dialogue on the Nairobi Declaration to advance Africa's urban agenda.
The World Urban Forum (WUF13) continues in Baku, Azerbaijan on 18 May, addressing the global housing crisis. The day’s agenda includes the official opening press conference, the WUF13 Urban Expo opening and a ministerial dialogue on the Nairobi Declaration to advance Africa's urban agenda.
Iran and Pakistan reviewed bilateral ties and the latest developments in the stalled Iran-U.S. peace negotiations mediated by Islamabad, as Tehran and Washington continue to refuse tangible concessions amid a fragile ceasefire and escalating verbal threats.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said plans to strengthen frontline units on the border with South Korea, as well as other major units, were key to "more thoroughly deterring war," state media KCNA reported on Monday.
China will address U.S. concerns about rare earth shortages, the White House said on Sunday in a recap of agreements struck at last week's leaders summit that fell short of calling for the removal of restrictions that have disrupted U.S. aerospace and semiconductor manufacturing.
Samsung Electronics and its labour union commenced high-stakes talks on Monday (18 May) in a last-ditch bid to avert what would be the biggest strike in the tech giant's history.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment