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A ship arriving from Colombia reached Havana this Friday with 100 tons of food and essential goods. It is an international humanitarian aid that the island is receiving amidst its energy collapse.
The ship, which had set sail from Cartagena de Indias at the beginning of the month, crossed the channel of Havana Bay early in the morning, flying the Colombian flag and escorted by a small Cuban auxiliary vessel, as reported by the AP agency.
The Presidential Agency for International Cooperation of Colombia indicated that the shipment was made by order of President Gustavo Petro and included non-perishable food, medicines, hospital supplies, electrical materials, and solar panels, among other products.
In addition to the government cargo, seven additional tons of goods collected by solidarity groups and Cubans residing in Colombia were loaded.
The initiative arose after a formal request from the Embassy of Cuba in Colombia to the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and involved the participation of multiple Colombian state entities.
This shipment adds to another that Cuba received the previous weekend, the vessel Asian Katra with 1,700 tons of essential goods —rice, beans, and milk— from Mexico and Belize.
China, Russia, Uruguay, and several European nations have also sent aid to the island so far in 2026.
It is not the first time that Colombia has come to Cuba's aid. In November 2025, it sent 240 tons of humanitarian aid to the Guillermón Moncada port in Santiago de Cuba following Hurricane Melissa, and in December 2024, it dispatched ten tons on an aircraft from its Air Force.
Cuba has been experiencing a severe economic crisis for the past five years, which worsened after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on countries that send oil to the island in January. In the last five months, only one ship carrying Russian oil has arrived in the country.
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