Russia may test Trump’s blockade of Cuba with oil tankers crossing Atlantic
Two vessels carrying Russian oil are reportedly heading for Cuba in the coming days in a move that could test President Trump’s longstanding blockade, according to the Financial Times, citing maritime intelligence companies.
One of the tankers making its way to the Caribbean island is Sea Horse, a Hong Kong-flagged ship estimated to be carrying approximately 190,000 barrels of gasoil from Russia, according to tracking from maritime AI company Windward.
The Associated Press reported Thursday that another ship, the Russian-flagged Anatoly Kolodkin, is roughly 3,000 nautical miles from Cuba and expected to reach the island in 10 days.
Cuba has plunged into a deep economic and energy crisis due to an oil embargo put in place by the Trump administration in January following the U.S. military operation in Venezuela that led to the capture of President Nicolás Maduro.
The island’s electrical grid collapsed earlier this week, leaving nearly 11 million people in the dark for more than 29 hours before power was partially restored. The nation is also facing a worsening humanitarian crisis with limited access to food, water and medication.
The U.S. has sought to leverage economic pressure to push political reform in Cuba, with Trump warning other countries not to do business with the island nation. [Continue reading…]