The oil tanker Ocean Mariner arrived in Havana Bay with 86,000 barrels of fuel sent by Mexico to ease blackouts on the island. The vessel, which departed from Pemex's Pajaritos complex last month, began unloading at the Ñico López refinery this Saturday. This shipment comes amid Cuba's energy crisis, worsened by reduced supplies from Venezuela.
On Saturday, the Energy Institute at the University of Texas confirmed to EFE the arrival of the Liberian-flagged tanker Ocean Mariner in Cuba's capital on Friday morning. The vessel carried about 86,000 barrels of fuel to aid Cuba, which is enduring power cuts exceeding 20 hours daily in various areas due to breakdowns in its obsolete power plants and a shortage of foreign currency for fuel imports.
Since mid-2024, Cuba's national grid has experienced five total blackouts and several partial ones. The island needs around 110,000 barrels daily for basic requirements, with 40,000 from domestic production, according to the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI). Sixty percent of consumed fuel is imported, and 65% powers thermoelectric plants.
Pemex's shipment, covering slightly more than the island's daily crude deficit, is part of recent deliveries, including the Eugenia Gas tanker. Historically, Venezuela has met nearly half of Cuba's needs with about 50,000 barrels daily, but since 2024, volumes have dropped to 10,000-30,000, with no official figures from Caracas or Havana.
U.S. sanctions on Venezuelan tankers and statements by President Donald Trump, who claimed the Cuban government is 'about to fall' without Venezuelan oil, heighten tensions. Cuban officials responded that the people are 'willing' to give their lives.
