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The tanker PRIMULA set sail on February 21 from the port of Matanzas with a draft of 10.3 meters, nearly the maximum operational limit for a vessel of its type, according to data consulted on specialized maritime tracking platforms such as MarineTraffic and VesselFinder. The ship is sailing to Moa, in the eastern part of the country.
A draft of that magnitude indicates that the ship is loaded almost to the limit of its capacity. With a deadweight tonnage of 23,433 tons, the PRIMULA could transport between 160,000 and 170,000 barrels of fuel under those conditions, depending on the type of product on board.
On the social network X, user Joankelin Sánchez, who frequently monitors the movement of vessels in Cuba, stated that the ship left "at maximum load." "Ten point three meters is the maximum draft for the PRIMULA," he affirmed in his post.
The route is not coincidental. Moa does not have a large-scale oil terminal comparable to that of Matanzas. The port infrastructure in the area is primarily focused on the nickel industry. Empresa Puerto Moa operates at the Nicaro port and in buoy fields in Moa and Felton, with the capacity to receive supplies such as fuels, coal, and ammonia intended for the industrial plants in the region.
Unlike Matanzas, which serves as a hub for national storage and redistribution, in Moa, fuel is commonly used as a direct input for the nickel plants Pedro Soto Alba and Ernesto Che Guevara, two of the main consumers of fuel oil in the country.
On previous occasions, large shipments of crude oil destined for the eastern region have required ship-to-ship transfer operations in the nearby Nipe Bay, which highlights the logistical challenges of that coastal area.
The movement takes place in a context marked by repeated blackouts, transportation crises, and reports of fuel shortages in various sectors of the country. While the population faces restrictions, a shipment of this magnitude to a strategic industrial hub raises questions about the distribution and prioritization of energy resources.
So far, there is no official information regarding the type of cargo being transported by the PRIMULA or the specific purpose of the shipment to Moa.
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