Cuba Faces Severe Fuel Shortage Amid U.S. Pressure

Crisis Unfolding in Cuba

Cuba is currently experiencing a critical fuel shortage, with a significant decline in oil tanker arrivals to the island in recent months. This situation is pushing the nation towards a potential humanitarian disaster and placing immense pressure on its government. Analysis of shipping data and satellite imagery indicates that vessels linked to Cuba have scarcely departed from ports. Traditional suppliers have ceased deliveries or declined to send additional shipments. U.S. authorities have intercepted vessels attempting to deliver fuel, and several tankers that set sail in search of cargo have returned empty or diverted their routes. Recently, one tanker spent five days navigating to Curaçao only to leave without any fuel. Shortly after, the U.S. Coast Guard halted another ship carrying Colombian fuel oil just 70 miles from Cuba. President Trump has expressed his intention to halt all oil shipments to the island. Although the White House has not officially labeled its actions as a blockade, experts who have monitored Cuba for years assert that this is effectively what it has become. Fulton Armstrong, a former CIA analyst focused on Latin America, remarked that this situation represents the most significant U.S. pressure on Cuba since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. He stated, 'Among us longtime Cuba watchers, we’ve always resisted people using the word blockade, but it is indeed a blockade,' according to the report.

Understanding the Pressure Mechanism

Last month, Trump declared a national emergency, identifying Cuba as a source of spies and terrorists, and signed an executive order threatening tariffs on any nation supplying petroleum products to the island. This threat has proven effective, as Mexico, Cuba's primary supplier in recent years, has ceased shipments. Other potential suppliers, including Brazil, Angola, and Algeria, have also refrained from assisting. The largest U.S. military presence in the Caribbean in decades is now patrolling the waters surrounding Cuba, following operations that previously blocked Venezuelan oil shipments before the U.S. captured Nicolás Maduro last month. A tanker named the Ocean Mariner exemplifies this trend. On January 29, it loaded 84,579 barrels of fuel oil in Barranquilla, Colombia, having previously delivered Cuba's last known shipment from Mexico on January 9. After departing Colombia, it initially indicated a destination of the Dominican Republic. Twelve days later, it altered its course towards Cuba. On February 11, when it was just 65 miles away, it unexpectedly reversed direction. The following day, a U.S. Coast Guard vessel approached and accompanied it for nearly two days, guiding it into Dominican waters. The ship remained there, fully loaded with fuel, for several days before another Coast Guard vessel escorted it north towards the Bahamas.

Impact on Daily Life in Cuba

The approximately 10 million residents of Cuba are already feeling the repercussions of this crisis. Frequent blackouts are occurring, and there is a shortage of gasoline and cooking gas, with diesel for water pumps also running low. Trash is accumulating in the streets, food prices are soaring, schools are canceling classes, and hospitals are postponing surgeries. The United Nations has condemned U.S. policies as a breach of international law that exacerbates the suffering of ordinary Cubans. The UN human rights office has warned that without sufficient energy resources, the country could face a full-blown humanitarian crisis. Estimates from a University of Texas team led by former oil executive Jorge Piñón suggest that Cuba's fuel reserves could be depleted by mid-March. Almost all of the island's energy relies on oil and oil products. President Miguel Díaz-Canel has stated that Cuba is open to negotiations with Washington and is actively seeking creative solutions to secure fuel despite the challenges. 'We are making every effort so that the country can once again have fuel,' he told reporters. 'We have to do very hard, very creative and very intelligent work to overcome all these obstacles.'