Tanker Believed To Be Carrying Russian Oil Changes Course, Stops Heading To Cuba As Shortages Continue To Bite

A tanker believed to be carrying Russian oil that was on its way to Cuba changed course and diverted from the island, which continues to experience severe fuel shortages.

The Sea Horse is now drifting in the North Atlantic Ocean, Bloomberg reported on Thursday. The vessel is believed to be carrying some 200,000 barrels of gas oil, the outlet added, based on shipping analytics from Kpler Ltd.

Cuba didn't receive any oil in January for the first time in a decade. Bloomberg noted in another report that the lack of shipments illustrates the acute lack of fuel taking place in the country, with an analyst telling the outlet that he expects it to run out in the coming weeks.

Vortexa Ltd senior analyst Rohit Rathod noted that Cuba received substantial amounts of oil in December, which should last for some more weeks. However, the lack of new "I would give it until late-March before they run out of fuels," he added.

In this context, the Trump administration is planning to allow energy companies to sell fuel to private businesses in the island while continuing the blockade of the regime.

The outlet noted that almost all fuel has been historically imported to the island by the Havana regime, largely from Mexico and Venezuela.

However, flows from the countries have stopped this year. There's no more oil flowing from Venezuela after the capture of authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro on January 3, while Mexico has refrained from selling oil over threats of reprisals from the U.S.