Russia plans to send a second oil tanker to Cuba, according to Russian Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilyov. The announcement came on Thursday, just two days after the sanctioned Russian tanker Anatoly Kolodkin docked at the Cuban port of Matanzas carrying 730,000 barrels of oil. This marked the first time in three months that an oil tanker reached the island nation.
Tsivilyov, speaking on the sidelines of an energy forum in Kazan, Russia, stated: "Cuba is in a total blockade, it's been cut off. Whose shipment of oil made it? A Russian vessel broke through the blockade. A second one is being loaded right now, we will not leave Cubans alone in trouble."
Cuba is in a total blockade, it's been cut off. Whose shipment of oil made it? A Russian vessel broke through the blockade. A second one is being loaded right now, we will not leave Cubans alone in trouble.
The shipment from the Anatoly Kolodkin could produce about 180,000 barrels of diesel, reportedly enough to meet Cuba's daily demand for nine or ten days. Cuba produces barely 40% of its required fuel and relies on imports to sustain its energy grid.
The United States has maintained an energy blockade against Cuba, which deepened after critical oil shipments from Venezuela were halted when the US attacked the South American country and arrested its leader, Nicolás Maduro. US President Donald Trump recently said he had "no problem" with the Anatoly Kolodkin docking, stating he didn't think it would help prop up the Cuban government.
I had 'no problem' with the Anatoly Kolodkin docking, stating he didn't think it would help prop up the Cuban government.
Cuba has been experiencing severe energy and economic crises, leading to blackouts, cuts to the state-run food ration system, and shortages of water and medicine.