US will reportedly allow Russian oil tanker to reach Cuba amid blockade | US news
A Russian-flagged tanker carrying Russian crude oil entered Cuba’s exclusive economic zone on Sunday, ship tracking data showed; This could be the Caribbean nation’s first oil imports in more than two months.
The tanker Anatoly Kolodkin, which left Primorsk after loading approximately 650,000 barrels of Ural crude oil, may soon unload at the Cuban port of Matanzas if it does not change its current route, according to monitoring services MarineTraffic and LSEG.
Washington effectively blocked all oil shipments to Cuba in an effort to pressure the government in Havana. Meanwhile, the United States temporarily lifted sanctions on Russia to help improve the flow of oil restricted by U.S. and Israeli military strikes against Iran.
New York Times on Sunday approved Based on a US official who received information on the subject, it was stated that the Russian tanker was heading towards Cuba. The Times report said it was unclear why the Trump administration allowed the shipment to pass.
LSEG ship tracking data also showed that the US-approved tanker Anatoly Kolodkin was headed for Cuba. The ship set sail from the Russian port of Primorsk carrying approximately 650,000 barrels of crude oil, but the New York Times report stated that it was 730,000 barrels.
Either way, that much oil would provide significant relief to Cuba, which, according to President Miguel Díaz-Canel, has not received oil imports for three months, leading to strict gasoline rationing and worsening the energy crisis that has led to numerous power outages across the Caribbean island nation.
