Russian tanker approaches Cuba despite warning from US
The Anatoly Kolodkin, carrying 730,000 barrels of crude oil, was on Sunday north of Haiti, heading towards the port of Matanzas in western Cuba, maritime analysis firm Kpler revealed.
Russian oil tanker near Cuba.
The arrival of a sanctioned Russian tanker to Cuba is scheduled for this Monday, defying a de facto blockade imposed by the United States on fuel supplies for the island, according to shipping data consulted by AFP.
The Anatoly Kolodkin, carrying 730,000 barrels of crude, was north of Haiti on Sunday, heading for the port of Matanzas in western Cuba, maritime analysis firm Kpler revealed.
The Cuban regime lost its main regional ally and oil supplier in January, when U.S. forces captured Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro.
Subsequently, President Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on any country sending oil to Cuba and has even suggested the possibility of "taking over" the island.
Havana claims to have received no oil supplies since January, which has worsened the energy crisis in this country of 9.6 million people.
Cuban dictator Miguel Díaz-Canel has imposed emergency measures, including strict gasoline rations.
Fuel prices on the island have skyrocketed, public transportation has been drastically reduced and several airlines have suspended flights to Cuba. The country suffered seven nationwide blackouts recently, three of them this month.
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What is known about the Anatoly Kolodkin
It was escorted by a Russian Navy vessel across the English Channel; however, the two vessels separated once the tanker entered the Atlantic Ocean, the British Royal Navy reported.
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