The tanker ship PVT Clara, coming from Russia, will dock this Wednesday in Havana Bay, at a critical moment when the island is experiencing daily blackouts of between 12 and 20 hours.
This ship, which set sail from the port of Svetly in Kaliningrad on September 14, has been used by Moscow to transport fuels, defying the Western sanctions imposed after the invasion of Ukraine.
According to satellite tracking platforms, the PVT Clara, flying the Panamanian flag, will arrive in the Caribbean nation on October 2 at 9:00 PM.
However, with a loading capacity of only 20,831 tons, it does not seem to provide significant relief to the critical fuel supply situation on the island.
The Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, has stated that Cuba requires about 3,000 tons of hydrocarbons daily, which means that the shipment from the tanker would only last for a week.
According to the official, "two or three ships are needed for seven days" to meet the needs for diesel, gasoline, and other essential products.
The context is alarming on the island, where popular discontent is increasing.
The state-owned Unión Eléctrica predicted a maximum deficit of 1,180 MW during peak hours, which represents an impact of almost 40% of national consumption.
The fuel shortage has caused 47 generation plants to be out of operation.
The situation becomes even more complicated with the lack of fuel from Russia, Mexico, and Venezuela, which have been the island's main allies in recent years.
According to Jorge Piñón, director of the Energy Program for Latin America and the Caribbean at the University of Texas, Cuba has received only a trickle of oil shipments in recent weeks, insufficient to cover its deficit.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Energy and Mines expressed optimism during the inauguration of the Third International Renewable Energy Fair, stating that the fuel "is in Cuban ports" but still not unloaded.
This has generated growing frustration among the population, who continue to suffer the effects of the prolonged blackouts.
Recently, Russia committed to helping its old ally, the Cuban regime, with the supply of hydrocarbons, wheat, and fertilizers. Moscow considers Havana a "key partner and reliable ally in the Latin America and Caribbean region."
In a bilateral meeting held in Moscow between Russian and Cuban representatives, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitri Chernyshenko stated that a new loan has been granted to Havana to ensure a stable supply of oil, petroleum products, wheat, and fertilizers, crucial elements for the calamitous Cuban economy.
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