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The tanker Sandino arrived this Saturday at the port of Matanzas from Nipe Bay (Holguín), one of Cuba's main logistical points for the reception, storage, and transshipment of hydrocarbons.
According to data from maritime monitoring sites, the vessel has an estimated capacity of between 390,000 and 410,000 barrels. However, there are no official details about the actual volume transported.
According to the same source, the ship had reportedly loaded in the bay of Nipe in the previous days, although the origin of the cargo at that point remains unknown, making the initial source of the fuel unclear.
Nipe Bay, in Holguín, serves as one of Cuba's primary oil hubs for the reception, storage, and transshipment of imported crude oil. Through the Antilla terminal and its anchorage, the country receives shipments on large vessels and then redistributes them using smaller tankers to ports and refineries such as Matanzas, Cienfuegos, Havana, or Santiago de Cuba, in a logistical framework essential for internal supply.
During the first weeks of 2026, the energy crisis in Cuba has revealed a deep deterioration in the regime's ability to ensure fuel supply.
The year began with alarming signs: six ships operated by the military conglomerate GAESA concentrated in the bay of Matanzas the last available oil reserves, according to reports from independent sources.
Experts warned at that time that the country was “emptying its own tanks to buy time,” while electricity generation and fuel distribution were on the verge of collapse.
In mid-January, the situation worsened with the diversion of the Mia Grace tanker, which had departed from Togo heading to Cuba with a cargo of diesel or fuel oil.
In the midst of its journey across the Atlantic, the ship changed course towards the Dominican Republic, reflecting the difficulties of the Cuban government in securing supply agreements and the increasing financial isolation that prevents it from accessing traditional energy markets.
A few days later, the tanker LPG Emilia was detected sailing south of Cuba with a possible cargo of liquefied petroleum gas.
The reactivation of its movement, after more than a month of inactivity, was interpreted as an attempt by the regime to keep the minimum distribution of domestic energy afloat. However, its journey also highlighted the island’s dependence on an aging fleet operated almost entirely by state-controlled entities.
Already in February, a new sign of Cuba's energy precariousness emerged from Venezuela.
A tanker linked to the island loaded 150,000 barrels of gasoline at a Venezuelan port, in what analysts consider an effort to resume fuel shipments under the supervision of the United States.
The operation coincided with the worsening queues at gas stations, prolonged blackouts, and restrictions on public transport, symptoms of an energy system on the brink of structural collapse.
The concatenation of these episodes shows that Cuba is experiencing an energy crisis that goes beyond the occasional shortage of fuel.
The lack of solid allies, the reduction of supplies from Venezuela, and the inability to access international credit have forced the country to operate with minimal reserves and rely on sporadic shipments.
In this scenario, the arrival of a tanker in Matanzas, such as the Sandino, is seen less as a sustained relief and more as a temporary respite within a context of economic and energy exhaustion.
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