The United States Coast Guard announced this Friday the successful interception of the vessel M/V Grace, a boat heading towards Cuba loaded with fuel in the Caribbean Sea, as part of an operation coordinated with Mexico.
According to the official statement from the Coast Guard, the boarding occurred in early September when a tactical team intercepted the vessel as it was heading to the island.
After the boarding, the Coast Guard escorted the M/V Grace, which sails under the flag of Comoros, to the port of Progreso, Mexico, where the Mexican Navy (MARINA) confirmed the presence of large quantities of fuel stored in the ship's ballast tanks, in addition to several containers that are also believed to have contained fuel.
The authorities determined that the ship employed tactics characteristic of the so-called "dark fleet": deceptive navigation practices, unsafe conditions, and hidden cargo to evade international controls.
Storing fuel in ballast tanks poses a serious environmental risk, as it can lead to oil spills that threaten coastal communities, fishing reserves, and marine ecosystems in the Caribbean.
The operation involved the Alert Coast Guard (WMEC-630), the Charles Sexton Coast Guard (WPC-1108), a fixed-wing aircraft HC-144, the South Tactical Law Enforcement Team, and Southeast District observers.
Vice Admiral Nate Moore, Deputy Commander of Operations, emphasized the seriousness of these activities: "Illicit fuel shipments violate international law and pose serious environmental threats in the Caribbean Sea. We thank the Government of Mexico for their assistance in bringing the M/V Grace to justice."
The admiral Kevin Lunday, commander of the Coast Guard, was more emphatic: "International waters are not a sanctuary for illegal activities. The actors of the dark fleet who employ deceptive tactics to engage in unlawful activities will not evade justice."
This interception is not an isolated incident. Earlier this summer, the Coast Guard had already detained the M/V Jaira Provider, another substandard vessel registered in St. Kitts and Nevis that was also transporting illicit fuel to Cuba.
That ship was boarded near Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, with approximately 220,000 gallons of diesel on board, according to reports from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Both interceptions are part of the maximum pressure campaign of the Trump administration against the Cuban regime, which officially began on January 29 with the signing of Executive Order 14380, declaring Cuba a "national emergency" and imposing secondary sanctions on countries and shipping companies that supply oil to the island.
That policy intensified in May with a second executive order and culminated in June with direct sanctions on CUPET, the Cuban state oil company. According to reports, these measures have reduced Cuba's energy imports by between 80% and 90%, worsening the fuel crisis and the blackouts that the population is experiencing.
The Cuban Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, confessed in April that the only shipment received in over four months barely sufficed to cover that month, a revelation that illustrates the extent of the energy crisis facing the island.
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