Two ships from Mexico with a total of 80,000 barrels of fuel will arrive in Cuba in the coming days to help alleviate the crisis of blackouts on the island, according to data from the University of Texas Energy Institute (USA).
Cuba requires approximately 110,000 barrels for its basic energy needs, of which about 40,000 comes from domestic production. According to Cuba's National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI), 60% of the fuel consumed on the island is imported, and of the total the country needs, 65% is to feed the country's thermoelectric plants.
The two vessels will bring hydrocarbons to Cuba at a critical moment for the island, which suffers from power cuts of 20 or more hours daily in large areas of its territory, and amid doubts that Venezuela, due to U.S. military pressure, can remain its main oil supplier.
The ships are the Ocean Mariner and the Eugenia Gas, both under the Liberian flag. The latter is already circumnavigating the island of Cuba along its north coast, heading to the port of Moa (east) after loading at the Pajaritos complex of the state-owned Mexican oil company Pemex, in the south of the North American country.
The other ship, for its part, would still be loading at these same Mexican industrial facilities to travel to Cuba next, according to ship tracking data from the Energy Institute.
These shipments are taking place at a critical moment for Cuba's electrical system. With this pace of blackouts, the national economy is paralyzed and social discontent is high.
The 80,000 barrels that Pemex is sending — currently the world's most indebted oil company — represent slightly more than the island's crude oil deficit for one day.
The country is experiencing a deep energy crisis since mid-2024 due to frequent breakdowns of its obsolete power plants and the state's lack of foreign currency to acquire the necessary fuel for its generation units. In just twelve months, the national power system has suffered five total collapses and several partial ones.
