The measures of the US Government have been described by the United Nations as "actions that violate human rights". The inability of Cuban authorities to meet energy demand has resulted in prolonged daily blackouts and the near-total paralysis of the economy. It is expected that the cargo of the tanker Anatoli Kolodkin will allow for the operation of the National Electric System and other economic activities for a period of approximately 10 days, local media reported this Tuesday. From the refining of this volume, official information specified, the first finished products would begin to be distributed in the second half of next April in Cuba. The unloading of the Russian oil tanker Anatoli Kolodkin, which docked with 740,000 barrels of crude oil this Tuesday at the port of Matanzas, west of Cuba, will be delayed by approximately 96 hours, amidst the serious energy crisis the island is facing. The vessel, which belongs to the Sovkomflot corporation sanctioned by the US since 2024 and departed from the Russian port of Primorsk on March 9th, is the first oil shipment to arrive on the island in the last three months. "The processes for towing the vessel take about six hours and then the different logistical stages begin, including unloading, which will take approximately another 96 hours," explained the deputy director of the state-owned Cuba-Petroleum Union (CUPET), Irenaldo Pérez Cardoso. The oil company executive clarified that at 14:00 local time, the Russian oil tanker was in the process of mooring, and the cargo it transported "will generate a certain level of finished products such as liquefied petroleum gas, gasoline, diesel, and fuel oil; destined to meet basic needs". How will Cuba use the Russian oil? Pérez Cardoso also said that "the crude oil is of good quality and fits the characteristics of the Cuban refining system, where they already have experience" in processing Russian loads like these. "The liquefied gas obtained will have primary destinations of vital service institutions such as hospitals," he added. As for the gasoline levels that will be produced, the deputy director of CUPET assured that they "will temporarily alleviate the tension the country is going through" and the diesel, which is the most complex fuel, will be destined for distributed electricity generation. Fuel will also be supplied to power plants throughout the island "to reinforce the problem in the country's energy system," Pérez asserted. This is the energy crisis Cuba is facing. Cuba has been experiencing a serious energy crisis since mid-2024, which was deepened by the oil siege imposed by the US Government since January.
