Cuba is going through its worst economic crisis in three decades, and barely produces a third of the fuel it consumes daily. Since the end of March, lines of cars looking for gas have been a part of the landscape.
Now, with the shipments received from Mexico and Russia, the country could alleviate that severe fuel deficit, at least for the moment.
According to the page Vessel Finderwhich follows the route of the boats, the Mexican tanker Bicentennial It arrived at the port of Havana on June 6 with a cargo of some 265,000 barrels of oil. This Thursday the ship was anchored near the Ñico López refinery, in the Cuban capital.
At the end of May the Cameroonian supertanker Siltcoming from Russia, arrived at the port of Matanzas with an estimated 800,000 barrels.
The Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, said then: “on the issue of fuel […] there will be a recovery of activity and a decrease in uncomfortable queues.
The director of the Energy and Environment Program for Latin America and the Caribbean at the University of Texas, Jorge Piñón, quoted by AFP, considered that the supply may be “returning to an acceptable level.”
According to Piñón, Havana can be supplied for up to three weeks. The processing capacity of the Ñico López refinery is about 22,000 barrels per day. Continuity will depend on whether the flow is maintained and that there are no problems in the Cuban plants.
In 2022 Cuba faced the fire of its main fuel storage center in the province of Matanzas, in addition to the lack of production and a reduction in shipments from Venezuela.
The country produces about 40,000 barrels a day, but needs another 100,000 to meet its demand, says Piñón. The difference is partly covered by its partners, with a deficit of at least 20,000, he said.
