Ship with Russian oil for Cuba
By AGENCIES Date: 03/18/2024
HAVANA.- Russia has dispatched a ship carrying 650,000 barrels of crude oil, valued at almost 50 million dollars, to Cuba in an effort to alleviate the energy crisis plaguing the island. The ongoing blackouts in Cuba have been affecting half of the territory and lasting for more than 10 hours a day.
According to data provided by the Energy Institute of the University of Texas to EFE, the oil tanker departed from Russian territory on March 9 and is expected to reach Matanzas in western Cuba by the end of the month. This shipment marks the first delivery of crude oil from Moscow to Havana in over a year.
The departure of the oil tanker follows a series of high-level official visits between Russia and Cuba, with the most recent being the visit of Cuban Minister of Foreign Trade, Ricardo Cabrisas, to Russia. Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, also visited Cuba in February.
During Cabrisas’ visit to Moscow, Russia extended a new loan to Cuba to ensure a stable supply of oil, petroleum products, wheat, and fertilizers, as reported by the state agency Prensa Latina.
The Cuban Government has attributed part of the energy crisis to a decline in crude oil imports from allied countries, with Venezuela and Russia being identified as major suppliers. According to data from the Energy Institute of the University of Texas, Venezuela has significantly reduced its exports to Cuba in the first two months of the year.
The situation has led to storage problems and import challenges, compounded by the fire incident at the main fuel collection center in Matanzas in 2022.
The Cuban electrical system heavily relies on fossil fuels for operation, with aging generation plants often experiencing breakdowns and repairs. The Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, stated that while the situation is expected to improve in the coming days, Cuba may still face tense and critical moments due to financial constraints in acquiring oil from abroad.