Russian tankers have delivered enough fuel to meet Cuba’s energy needs for up to 10 days after a three-month blockade.
Published March 31, 2026
A Russian-flagged tanker carrying 730,000 barrels of oil has entered Cuba, marking the first time in three months that an oil tanker has arrived in Cuba.
US President Donald Trump’s administration allowed Anatoly Kolodkin to proceed despite the continuing US energy blockade. The Aframax tanker entered Matanzas Bay, the country’s largest supertanker and fuel storage port, at dawn on Tuesday.
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The ship was subject to U.S. sanctions and entered Cuban territorial waters near the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay late Sunday. The United States said it was allowing fuel to be transported by tanker for humanitarian reasons.
Anatoly Kolodkin entered Matanzas Bay at sunrise under clear skies and light winds. When the tanker arrived in the port area, most of the nearby cities, and much of Cuba, were without power.
President Miguel Díaz-Canel says no oil tankers have arrived in Cuba for three months, worsening the energy crisis. Seemingly endless power outages across the country of 10 million people have threatened to collapse hospitals, public transport and farm production.
Cubans, including Minister of Energy and Mines Vicente de la O Levi, rejoiced at the ship’s arrival. Oil shortages have exacerbated a deep economic crisis, with the country experiencing prolonged power outages and facing severe shortages of food and medicine.
“We would like to thank the Russian government and people for all the support we are receiving. It is a precious cargo that has arrived in the midst of the complex energy situation we are facing,” de la aux Levy wrote to X.
The fuel supply would give Cuba’s communist-run government some breathing room amid mounting pressure from the Trump administration, which has vowed to transform the country.
It will take several days for the crude oil on board the Anatoly Kolodkin to be processed domestically and turned into refined products such as motor fuel and diesel and fuel oil for power generation.
The ship is carrying Russian Ural, a medium-sour crude suitable for Cuba’s aging refineries.
Cuba produces just 40 percent of the fuel it needs and relies on imports to maintain its energy grid. Experts say the expected shipment could produce about 180,000 barrels of diesel, enough to cover Cuba’s daily needs for nine to 10 days.
Cuba used to receive most of its oil from Venezuela, but those shipments have been halted since the United States attacked the South American country in early January and abducted leader Nicolás Maduro.
