A shipment of 400,000 barrels of crude oil has left Mexico bound for Cuba, which is currently grappling with severe fuel shortages and frequent blackouts. The cargo departed on Monday and is expected to arrive by the end of the week.
As one of the few countries still exporting crude oil to the U.S.-sanctioned Cuba, Mexico plays a crucial role in alleviating the island’s energy crisis, alongside Venezuela, which remains Cuba’s largest fuel supplier.
From January to September this year, Mexico has been sending approximately 20,000 barrels of crude oil daily to Cuba, an increase from an average of 16,000 barrels per day last year. This uptick began as Mexico started to fill the gap left by declining Venezuelan fuel shipments to Cuba.
Cuba’s energy situation has deteriorated recently, with a series of power outages caused by failures at key power plants, including the Antonio Guiteras, the country’s largest generator. These outages left the entire nation without electricity, with restoration efforts taking several days.
Additionally, recent reports indicate that the island’s difficulties are partly due to a significant reduction in fuel deliveries from Venezuela. In the first nine months of this year, Venezuelan shipments to Cuba averaged 32,600 barrels per day, a stark decline from 60,000 barrels per day during the same period in 2023. Furthermore, there are concerns that shipments from Mexico have also decreased, increasing Cuba’s vulnerability to energy shortages.
Compounding these challenges, Cuba faced the impacts of Hurricane Oscar earlier this month, which hindered recovery efforts following the blackouts. Although power was restored last week, officials have warned that outages remain a possibility.
The Cuban ambassador to Mexico recently stated that the nation lost $5 billion last year due to the U.S. embargo and revealed that the Cuban government is in discussions for aid with Mexico, Venezuela, and Colombia to address its ongoing energy crisis.
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