The Cuban Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, acknowledged this Wednesday that the only fuel shipment received in over four months —the Russian tanker Anatoly Kolodkin— is insufficient and its contents will only last until the end of April.
"Only with this ship do we have until the end of this month. That is to say, we have a few days left, because today is already April 22. We have until the end of this month," declared the minister on the government program Mesa Redonda.
The warning is critical: Cuba needs eight ships per month of all fuels to meet its energy and economic needs, but has only received one since December 2025.
"If we need eight ships, including for the economy, and we receive one ship with 100,000 tons, we are distributing only 50% of what is needed," explained De la O Levy.
The minister acknowledged that the regime is currently operating at half of its capacity due to a lack of fuel: "We are working at 50% of our capacity,” he stated, adding that "the issue of fuel is currently the most significant factor affecting electricity generation."
Anatoly Kolodkin, an oil tanker sanctioned by the United States, the European Union, and the United Kingdom, arrived in Matanzas on March 30 with approximately 730,000 barrels of Russian crude oil.
The crude oil was transported by coastal shipping to the Camilo Cienfuegos refinery, where refined products such as diesel, gasoline, fuel oil, and liquefied petroleum gas were already being produced within 48 hours.
The distribution began on April 17, a day earlier than expected, and since then there has been a improvement in blackouts, although Cuba is only distributing 800 tons of fuel daily, half of the 1,600 tons that would be needed for normal operations.
The crisis intensified starting on December 3, 2025, when the Skipper ship, carrying one million barrels to Cuba, was seized.
"December 8 is when the last ship arrives... and since then we have not received any more fuel until now," the minister specified.
This situation was further compounded by the capture of Nicolás Maduro on January 3, 2026, which halted the flow of Venezuelan oil, and Trump on January 29, who imposed secondary sanctions and tariffs on any country that supplies oil to Cuba, leading Mexico to suspend its shipments from Pemex.
"A fuel supply to Cuba from any country can impact the entire economy of that country," acknowledged the minister himself while explaining the deterrent effect of U.S. sanctions.
De la O Levy noted that the regime continues to seek new shipments, but without any concrete guarantees: "We are doing the unthinkable to ensure a bit more continuity."
Russia announced a second shipment, also mentioned by the foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, but without confirmed dates or volumes at the time of the Cuban minister's statements, who summarized the situation with a phrase that leaves little room for hope: "How long can this energy happiness last? Not much time, Randy, not much time."
Filed under: