Canal Caribe, the Cuban state television, presented on Tuesday the arrival of the Russian tanker Anatoly Kolodkin at the Matanzas supertanker base as a victory against the U.S. embargo, omitting that the shipment had been previously negotiated and authorized by Washington.
The ship docked yesterday with 100,000 tons of crude, equivalent to 730,000 barrels, marking the first significant oil supply received by Cuba in over three months.
The journalist Bernardo Espinosa broadcast live from the industrial area of Matanzas alongside the Deputy Director of Unión Cuba Petróleo (CUPET), Engineer Irenealdo Pérez Cardoso, who described the entry operation as "a success without any setbacks, despite the weather conditions."
What the official coverage omitted is that Russia had previously discussed the shipment with the United States, and that Washington authorized the entry of the vessel for humanitarian reasons, particularly to alleviate the energy crisis affecting hospitals and essential services.
Additionally, the U.S. administration also authorized the supply of fuel for the generators distributed across the island as part of a specific humanitarian concession.
Pérez Cardoso explained that the crude oil will be used to produce liquefied petroleum gas for hospitals and educational centers, gasoline, diesel, and fuel oil for power plants such as MOA, Mariel, and the barges of Havana.
However, the shipment only covers between seven and ten days of total consumption for the country, highlighting the depth of the crisis.
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