In records of maritime tracking platforms, the ship appears under the flag of Vanuatu and declares Matanzas as its destination.
MIAMI, United States. – A ship identified as Jasper, flying the flag of Vanuatu and sanctioned by the European Union and the United Kingdom, was this Wednesday off the northwestern coast of Cuba, about 29 kilometers north of Matanzas Bay, with an estimated cargo of about 330,000 barrels of crude oil, according to data from the Energy Institute of the University of Texas (USA). cited by EFE.
This source indicated that “the Jasper, which sails under the flag of Vanuatu, left the Black Sea approximately on November 14” and that, “according to its draft, the ship is fully loaded with approximately 330,000 barrels of oil.”
In records of maritime tracking platforms, the vessel figure as JASPER (IMO 9299886), under the flag of Vanuatu, and with a declared destination of Matanzas, Cuba, although with AIS reports that are not continuous or outdated depending on the service itself.
In the United Kingdom, the name JASPER appears sanctioned in documents of the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI). In addition, appears in European lists of sanctioned vessels, although associated with the name Wall, which suggests a change in nomenclature or commercial registration at different times, something common in sanctioned crude oil transportation networks.
The movement of Russian crude oil to Cuba occurs while the island is going through an energy crisis that has resulted in blackouts of up to 20 hours a day or more in large areas of the country. In the last year, the National Electrical System (SEN) has suffered five total collapses and several partial ones.
The Jasper is the third ship to arrive in Cuba in less than a week, after two shipments from Mexico with 80,000 barrels of crude oil.
According to the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI) of Cuba, 60% of the fuel consumed on the Island is imported.
Just this month, US President Donald Trump announced a blockade aimed at “sanctioned oil tankers” linked to evasion networks, focusing on Venezuela, a key country for Havana’s energy supply. The interdiction and maritime persecution actions have strained the logistics of Venezuelan exports, in a scenario where Cuba was already suffering from supply cuts from Mexico and Venezuela.
