Russian Tanker Carrying Hundreds Of Thousands Of Oil Barrels Less Than a Week From Reaching Cuba: Report

A Russian tanker carrying hundreds of thousands of oil barrels is less than a week from reaching Cuba, potentially setting up a showdown with the U.S., which continues enforcing a fuel blockade of the island.

Jorge Piñon an energy expert at the University of Texas at Austin, told the Miami Herald that the Anatoly Kolodkin appears to continue heading toward Cuba.

Piñon claimed that on Wednesday that the vessel was "en route to Cuba" maintaining "a speed of roughly 12 knots."

"I imagine it should arrive sometime within the next six days. However, for the moment, it hasn't changed either its direction or its speed," he added.

Russia is maintaining ambiguity about whether it is sending fuel to the island. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the government is "in constant contact with the Cuban leadership, with our Cuban friends," and "indeed, discussing with them possible options for assisting Cuba."

It did not clarify whether that means sending oil. The Anatoly Kolodkin, which has been sanctioned by the U.S., the UK and the EU is carrying 730,000 barrels of Russian oil and is heading to Matanzas.

The vessel joined the Sea Horse, which this week resumed navigation to the island after diverting course in February. The vessel is believed to be carrying some 200,000 barrels of gas oil.

Should the vessels effectively attempt to unload the oil in the island, it could spark a confrontation with the U.S., which is seeking to ensure that Cuba's public sector is still unable to access the source of energy.

In contrast, U.S. suppliers have shipped tens of thousands of barrels of oil to Cuba's private sector. Reuters detailed that some 30,000 barrels of fuel have made their way to the island.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that authorizing the mentioned exports is part of a policy "entirely designed to put the private sector and individual private Cubans – not affiliated with the government, not affiliated with the military, in a privileged position." While the figure is small, volumes are growing by the week, the outlet added.