The United States is allowing a Russian tanker full of crude oil to reach Cuba, in an easing of the de facto oil blockade that Washington has imposed on Cuba, the New York Times reported Sunday, citing a U.S. official briefed on the matter.
Washington has effectively blocked all oil shipments to Cuba in an attempt to pressure the government in Havana. Meanwhile, the U.S. has temporarily lifted sanctions on Russia to help improve the flow of oil that has been restricted by the U.S. and Israeli military strikes on Iran.
The Times report said it was unclear why the Trump administration was allowing the shipment to go through.
The U.S.-sanctioned tanker Anatoly Kolodkin was on its way to Cuba, LSEG ship-monitoring data also showed. The vessel departed from Russia's Primorsk port carrying some 650,000 barrels of crude, though The New York Times report said it had 730,000 barrels.
In either case, that much oil would provide significant relief to Cuba, which, according to President Miguel Diaz-Canel, has not received any oil imports for three months, leading to strict rationing of gasoline and exacerbating an energy crisis that has resulted in multiple power outages across the Caribbean island nation.
Fuel prices have soared, public transport has dwindled and some airlines have suspended flights to Cuba, hitting the country's fragile economy.
Cubans have endured regular outages as its aging power plants struggle to meet demand, with seven nationwide blackouts since 2024, including two this month.
The Anatoly Kolodkin, which is under U.S. sanctions, was loaded with oil in the Russian port of Primorsk on March 8.
It was escorted by a Russian navy ship across the English Channel, but the two vessels split when the tanker entered the Atlantic, according to the British Royal Navy.
Another ship that was reportedly carrying Russian diesel to Cuba, the Hong Kong-flagged Sea Horse, arrived in Venezuela instead earlier this week.
Once the Anatoly Kolodkin's crude arrives in Cuba, it would take about 15-20 days to process the oil and another 5-10 days to deliver its refined products, Pinon said.
"The urgent need today in Cuba is diesel," the former oil executive said.
The Russian shipment could be converted into 250,000 barrels of diesel, enough to cover the country's demand for around 12.5 days, according to Pinon.
Pinon said the government would have to decide whether to use the fuel for backup power generators or for the buses, tractors and trains needed to keep the economy going for two weeks.
"If you are Diaz-Canel or somebody making the decision, you go, 'OK, where where do I go with that diesel'?" he said.
"Do I want to generate more electricity so there are less apagones (blackouts)? Or do I want it put it in the transportation sector?"