Tanker ends five-week fuel shortage in Cuba despite US blockade
A tanker identified as the Nicos I.V. entered Matanzas Bay in Cuba on February 16, delivering fuel to the island and ending more than five weeks of acute shortages that have triggered widespread power outages and supply disruptions, Reuters reported. This arrival comes amid Cuba’s worst energy crisis since the collapse of the Soviet Union, exacerbated by an effective US blockade on imported oil following heightened sanctions.
The 183-metre vessel, flying the flag of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, docked at Cuba’s principal energy logistics hub, apparently partly loaded, according to maritime tracking data and local reports. Although the ship has a capacity of over 300,000 barrels, the exact type and quantity of fuel it carried have not been disclosed by Cuban authorities, and the origin of the shipment remains unclear. Analysts say this is the first substantial international delivery since early January and could provide some immediate relief to Cuba’s strained energy system.
The arrival offers potential respite to a population grappling with severe fuel scarcity after the United States effectively cut off Cuba’s access to Venezuelan oil after its intervention in Venezuela and the ousting of President Nicolás Maduro. Under a January executive order, the US designated Cuba a “national security threat” and threatened tariffs on countries supplying oil to Havana, prompting Mexico, Cuba’s largest supplier in 2025, to suspend deliveries to avoid sanctions. Cuba’s daily energy needs of roughly 110,000–120,000 barrels far outstrip its domestic production of about 32,000 barrels, deepening blackouts, fuel price surges and transportation disruptions nationwide.
The Nicos I.V. is not listed on US sanctions lists but is under active surveillance due to past environmental violations and alleged links to Venezuela-Cuba oil trade. In 2019, companies operating the vessel pleaded guilty to violations of the United States Clean Water Act after an oil spill in Houston.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has warned that Cuba faces a potential humanitarian “collapse” if its oil needs are not met, highlighting urgent concerns over the impact of prolonged fuel shortages on food, water and essential services.
-
17:00
-
16:00
-
15:15
-
15:00
-
13:20
-
12:50
-
12:40
-
12:20
-
12:00
-
11:20
-
10:50
-
10:20
-
09:20
-
08:50
-
07:50
