MediCuba S.A., the Cuban state company responsible for importing medicines and supplies for the National Health System, reported the retention of 10 containers with essential resources stranded at ports in Jamaica and Colombia, in a complaint disseminated on social media on July 16 and amplified by official Cuban media on Tuesday.
The company attributes the situation to the shipping companies CMA CGM (France) and Hapag-Lloyd (Germany), which suspended their operations to Cuba in May 2026 following the signing of Executive Order 14404 by President Donald Trump on May 1, which expanded the secondary sanctions of the United States.
In the port of Kingston, Jamaica, five containers with supplies for the nephrology program—arteriovenous lines, fistula needles, and dialyzers—remain held. These arrived at the port on June 14 and 16.
According to the official media Adelante, these materials are "essential" to ensure hemodialysis for more than 3,000 patients across the country.
Three additional containers with bags of blood are also being held in Kingston.
In the port of Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, Hapag-Lloyd has blocked two containers of 500 milligram Sodium Valproate tablets, an anticonvulsant medication used in the treatment of epilepsy.
MediCuba emphasized that "the deprivation of this essential drug poses a direct threat to public health, as epilepsy requires continuous treatment to prevent convulsive crises and deterioration of patients."
In its Facebook post, the state-owned company stated that CMA CGM and Hapag-Lloyd "have suspended the shipment of containers to Cuba" and strongly condemned "the retention and non-shipment of nine containers with essential resources, the absence of which severely impacts the National Health System."
The Cuban regime frames the situation within the context of the U.S. embargo and demands the immediate release of the containers, although it does not provide an explanation as to why its own business structures —including the military conglomerate GAESA, designated by the State Department on May 7— generate the risk of sanctions that led shipping companies to suspend operations.
The shipping companies issued a notice of suspension of bookings on May 14, 2026, confirmed by Reuters days later, citing "compliance concerns" due to the new sanctions.
It is not the first time that containers with medical supplies have been stranded due to this reason: a hospital in Santiago de Cuba reported on July 15 that more than 3.5 million syringes and needles sent by the Spanish organization SODePAZ are also being held in Kingston.
The reduction of maritime transport to Cuba following the departure of shipping companies has also increased the cost of imported goods, according to reports from late June, worsening a shortage crisis of medications that has plagued the island for years.
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