A US federal judge accused four cruise companies of violating the blockade against Cuba, codified in the Helms-Burton Act, by using the port of Havana as a destination, local media reported today.
Judge Beth Bloom, of the city of Miami, considered that the companies Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line and MSC Cruises participated in “prohibited tourist activities” and “traffic” when transporting passengers to the island, reported the Sun Sentinel newspaper .
According to the cited judicial text, these tourism corporations benefited between 2015 and 2019 from the use of the port facilities of the Cuban capital, nationalized after the triumph of the 1959 Revolution.
This decision would mean a change of position by Judge Bloom herself, who in January 2020 issued an order in which she dismissed a similar claim by the Havana Docks Corporation firm, which now claims rights over the Havana cruise terminal.
Havana Docks says that this facility was its property and, therefore, believes that its use by US companies violates Title III of the Helms Burton Act, activated by former President Donald Trump in 2019.
For their part, the defendants argue that their trips to the Caribbean nation were covered by the guidelines established by the Treasury Department during the Barack Obama administration (2009-2017).
The case will continue from May this year in a trial that will determine whether financial compensation to the plaintiffs is necessary.
On April 2, 2019, legal proceedings were initiated under the Helms-Burton Act and as of July 31, 2021, a total of 39 lawsuits had been filed, of which five were withdrawn and 34 remained in progress.
This policy has affected entities from the United States and third countries that did or do business with Cuba, as well as national companies, which are currently working to revive tourism in Cuba, which has been hit hard by Covid-19 since 2020.
Helms-Burton, approved by the US Congress in 1996, codifies the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by Washington against Cuba almost 60 years ago.
Its Title III, which the Trump administration activated, allows US citizens to file claims against individuals and entities, including third countries, that invest in nationalized properties in Cuba after the triumph of the Revolution.
