The tanker Sea Horse, linked to shipments of Russian diesel and under suspicion for evasive maneuvers, never reached Cuba and changed its destination in the Caribbean to Trinidad and Tobago, amid increasing pressure from the United States and a severe energy crisis on the island.
Reuters cited data from LSEG and reports that the Sea Horse is heading south, with an estimated arrival in Trinidad and Tobago this Monday.
The vessel, identified by the IMO number 9262584 and flying the flag of Hong Kong, was recently located sailing toward the Caribbean with an estimated cargo of nearly 200,000 barrels of fuel.
His behavior raised alarms from the beginning due to erratic course changes and potential manipulations of his tracking signals, practices associated with the so-called Russian "ghost fleet."
At first, the Sea Horse declared distant destinations such as Gibraltar. Later, maritime tracking data indicated it was on a route towards the Caribbean, which fueled speculation that Cuba might be its actual destination.
The user Falcon on X cited sources indicating that the original plan included alternative routes. According to these reports, the secondary destination was Venezuela, with Cuba remaining as an option if other operations in the region did not materialize.
As it moved through the Atlantic, the vessel maintained a draft of 10.9 meters—essentially its operational maximum—confirming that it was sailing fully loaded.
However, the situation changed in the last few hours. The Sea Horse updated its destination to Trinidad and Tobago, diverting from any possible route to Cuba.
This movement occurs in parallel with new restrictions imposed by the U.S. Government, which explicitly prohibited the shipment of Russian oil to Cuba through a license from the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
The measure is part of a strategy to cut energy supply to the Cuban regime and increase internal pressure at a time of significant economic decline.
The change in the route of the Sea Horse is a setback for Cuba, which has not received stable fuel supplies since January and is facing prolonged blackouts across the country.
Another Russian vessel, the Anatoly Kolodkin, is headed toward Matanzas with a larger cargo, but uncertainty about energy shipments remains.
The case of the Sea Horse highlights the increasing difficulties in transporting Russian oil to Cuba and the effectiveness of control measures in the Caribbean. It also confirms the fragility of the Cuban energy system, which is becoming increasingly dependent on complex, opaque operations that are subject to geopolitical risks.
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