The arrival of a Russian oil tanker carrying thousands of barrels of crude oil in Matanzas will not result in immediate relief for Cubans. The official television itself confirmed that the unloading process will take several days amid an energy crisis that keeps the country under constant blackouts.
According to a report from the state channel Canal Caribe, the unloading of the vessel Anatoli Kolodkin —which is transporting about 100,000 tons of crude oil, equivalent to over 700,000 barrels— will take approximately 96 hours, a timeframe that adheres to international standards for this type of operation.
The tanker, arriving from the Russian port of Primorsk, docked this Tuesday at the bay of Matanzas, marking the first shipment of fuel the island has received in the last three months, amidst a context of severe shortages.
According to the deputy director of the state-owned Unión Cuba-Petróleo (CUPET), Irenaldo Pérez Cardoso, before starting the unloading process, it is necessary to complete a logistical procedure that includes securing the vessel and following technical protocols, which adds more hours to the wait.
The fuel will allow for the production of liquefied gas, gasoline, diesel, and fuel oil intended to meet basic needs, with priority given to hospitals and essential services. However, the authorities themselves acknowledge that the impact will be limited: gasoline will only "temporarily" alleviate the country's energy strain.
Moreover, the impact on daily life will not be immediate. Official forecasts indicate that the first refined products will start being distributed in the second half of April, extending the uncertainty for a population affected by daily blackouts and a lack of fuel.
Diesel, considered the most critical resource, will be mainly allocated to electricity generation in an attempt to sustain a collapsed system. Nevertheless, estimates suggest that this shipment would only suffice for about 10 days of operation.
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