Mexico sends two vessels to Cuba with 80,000 barrels of fuel

After the United States confiscated a shipment of Venezuelan oil destined for Cuba, two ships from Mexico will arrive on the island with a total of 80,000 barrels of fuel to help ease its deep energy crisis.

Data from the Energy Institute at the University of Texas (USA) provided to the EFE agency indicates that the vessels, Ocean Mariner and Eugenia Gas, both registered under the flag of Liberia, departed from the Pajaritos complex of Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) in southern Mexico.

The report indicates that the Eugenia Gas is already surrounding the island along the north coast, heading to the port of Moa in eastern Cuba, while the Ocean Mariner continues loading at the same facilities, according to maritime tracking from the U.S. entity.

The 80,000 barrels sent will barely cover one day of the island's energy consumption, which requires about 110,000 barrels daily to sustain its electricity demand.

Of that total, only 40,000 barrels come from domestic production, according to data from the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI).

Sixty percent of the fuel consumed by the country is imported, and sixty-five percent is used to supply thermoelectric plants, many of which are in critical condition or out of service.

Authorities have acknowledged that there is not enough fuel to maintain continuous generation, while the regime attempts to alleviate the crisis with irregular imports from its political allies.

The Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum has tripled oil and derivative shipments to Cuba in the last six months, according to an investigation by the Mexicanos contra la Corrupción y la Impunidad (MCCI) portal.

Between May and August 2025, Pemex sent 58 shipments of hydrocarbons to the island with a total value of 3.002 billion dollars, three times more than during the last two years of Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

The Sheinbaum government has framed the shipments as "humanitarian aid," but analysts and the Mexican opposition argue that they are political subsidies for the Cuban regime, which exchanges oil for medical services and security assistance.

Last Tuesday, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, announced a total oil blockade against Venezuela and intercepted a vessel that was heading to Cuba.