A Russian ship carrying over 700,000 barrels of crude oil is on its way to Cuba in an effort to alleviate the acute energy crisis in the Caribbean island, according to data from Belgian maritime platform Kpler.
The Anatoly Kolodkin loaded 730,000 barrels of crude oil in the Russian port of Primorsk on 8 March. As of Wednesday afternoon, the tanker was in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, heading towards Cuba, where it is expected to deliver its cargo on or around 23 March at the Matanzas oil terminal.
Kpler data shows that the ship sails under the Russian flag and is owned by the state-run shipping company Sovcomflot. The Anatoly Kolodkin operates despite sanctions imposed by the European Union, United Kingdom, and United States.
Cuba has been struggling with severe oil shortages due to a US blockade that has crippled its economy. The island nation has not received an oil shipment since 9 January, when Mexico made the last delivery. That supply was cut off following U.S. pressure on Mexico by President Donald Trump’s administration.
Another tanker, the Sea Horse, transported nearly 200,000 barrels of diesel in late January after transferring it from another vessel off the coast of Cyprus.
The Hong Kong-flagged Sea Horse left the Mediterranean Sea on 13 February, heading west. Between late February and early March, it slowed down and exhibited erratic navigation patterns. By Wednesday afternoon, the vessel had reached the northwestern Caribbean Sea, about 1,500 kilometres from Cuba’s coast.
