The Transsib Bridge ship, which left its origin loaded with 300,000 barrels of Russian diesel, arrives this Wednesday to the port of Matanzas. The oil tanker, which operates under the Liberian flag, loaded at the port of Nakhodka (Russia) and, after passing through the Panama Canal, docked in Cartagena (Colombia).
On September 2, upon reaching this destination, which was scheduled, it did not unload –although the Reuters agency speculates with a possible transfer of part of the cargo– and updated its trajectory, declaring that it was heading to the Island.
The tanker has been managed since April by Sun Ship Management, a unit of the Russian company Sovcomflot, which has been sanctioned by the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada and has lost Western companies’ insurance for its fleet.
Russian fuel consumption, which plummeted in the West after the sanctions imposed as a result of the invasion of Ukraine, has increased in Cuba in recent months. last julya Russian tanker, also from Sovcomflot and flying the Liberian flag, arrived at the port of Matanzas with 700,000 barrels of fuel oil from Ust-Luga.
The tanker has been managed since April by Sun Ship Management, a unit of the Russian company Sovcomflot, which has been sanctioned by the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada.
The tanker’s cargo was valued at about $70 million, based on the product’s price at the time.
The largest amount of fuel that Cuba obtains, however, continues to come from the agreement it maintains with Venezuela. From there, 81,000 barrels of oil and derivatives per day (bpd) arrived on the island this August, one of the largest amounts in recent years.
The fuel arrives at a much-needed moment for Cuba which, plunged into a severe energy crisis, This Monday gave the green light to import generators electric power higher than that allowed last August.
Customs authorized a month ago the free importation of different products, mostly electronics and appliances. Among them, and in order to alleviate the tense electrical situation, it allowed the arrival of two plants with an economic valuation that has fallen well below forecasts, so in a few weeks it has been forced to correct the norm.
Generator owners have competed this summer for long hours with chauffeurs and other vehicle drivers in order to get fuel to power their plants. The queues even caught the attention of the international press, astonished by the number of Cubans who waited more than four days to fill a deposit.
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