US authorities will allow a Russian oil tanker to reach Cuba despite Washington’s energy blockade of the island, The New York Times reported.
According to its information, the tanker is carrying roughly 730,000 barrels of oil and was reportedly located 15 nautical miles from the island on Sunday. The newspaper noted that the vessel could enter Cuban territorial waters as early as Sunday evening and arrive in the city of Matanzas by Tuesday.
The Anatoly Kolodkin, which is carrying 730,000 barrels of crude, was north of Haiti on Sunday as it headed towards the port of Matanzas in western Cuba, according to maritime analytics firm Kpler.
Jorge Pinon, an expert on Cuba’s energy sector at the University of Texas at Austin, said he was surprised the United States did not try to intercept the Russian tanker before it got so close to Cuba.
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The Anatoly Kolodkin, which is under US sanctions, was loaded with oil in the Russian port of Primorsk on March 8.
ReplyDeleteIt was escorted by a Russian navy ship across the English Channel, but the two vessels split when the tanker entered the Atlantic, according to the British Royal Navy.
Another ship that was reportedly carrying Russian diesel to Cuba, the Hong Kong-flagged Sea Horse, arrived in Venezuela instead earlier this week.
Russian Energy Minister Sergey Tsivilyov told reporters that Russia continues to deliver humanitarian cargo to Cuba, including fuel.
ReplyDeleteThe Russian shipment could be converted into 250,000 barrels of diesel, enough to cover the country’s demand for around 12.5 days
ReplyDelete