Any tanker that leaves Venezuelan waters can only do so with authorization from the United States.
MIAMI, United States. – An oil tanker that has transported Venezuelan fuel to Cuba since April 2025 finished loading a shipment of 150,000 barrels of gasoline in Venezuela this week, according to a shipping schedule reviewed by Reuters. The operation could indicate that the South American country, a member of OPEC, is preparing to send energy supplies to the Island under a control and supervision scheme from the United States, according to the report.
Reuters stated that until Thursday it was not clear whether the ship had left Venezuela. The ship was detected for the last time on Monday in Venezuelan waters by the monitoring service TankerTrackers.com. The agency added that it could not confirm the final destination of the tanker.
The office emphasizes that, in the current context, any tanker that leaves Venezuelan waters can only do so with authorization from the United States, due to the military presence of the North American country in the Caribbean.
The possible resumption or continuation of gasoline shipments occurs amid a deep energy crisis in Cuba, marked by chronic fuel shortages, prolonged blackouts and limitations in electricity generation. The island’s regime has recognized growing difficulties in guaranteeing the supply of fuel necessary to operate the country’s thermoelectric plants, many of them obsolete and prone to breakdowns.
The lack of fuel and the state of the thermoelectric plants, which have not received capital maintenance in decades, have forced Havana to implement plans for energy rationingas well as carrying out scheduled blackouts that affect both the population and key productive sectors. The agency has also indicated that the crisis has been aggravated by the reduction of supplies from traditional allies and by the tightening of US policy aimed at blocking or discouraging shipments of oil and derivatives to the Island.
Washington has increased pressure on countries and companies that supply energy to Cuba, in an attempt to cut off sources of financing to the Cuban regime. In this context, the United States Embassy in Havana recently warned its citizens about possible protests and service cuts, amid the deterioration of the country’s economic and energy situation.
The fuel shortage has had a direct impact on transportation, industrial production and basic services, which has intensified social unrest on the Island.
