By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Relief came the way of Cubans on Tuesday as they learnt that a Russian tanker loaded with 730,000 barrels of oil, had arrived the island’s port of Matanzas, marking the first time in three months that an oil vessel touched Cuba.
Cubans including Energy and Mines Minister Vicente de la O Levy expressed delight with the arrival of the ship.
A shortage of petroleum has exacerbated an already deep economic crisis that has left the population enduring long blackouts and facing a severe shortage of food and medicine.
Cuba produces barely 40% of its required fuel and relies on imports to sustain its energy grid.
President Donald Trump had had permitted the Anatoly Kolodkin to proceed to Cuba despite an ongoing US energy blockade.
Energy experts say the shipment could produce about 180,000 barrels of diesel, enough to feed Cuba’s daily demand for nine or 10 days.
Others celebrating the arrival included Matanzas resident Camilo Galves, who watched the ship dock from his home. “This is undoubtedly a great relief for the Cuban people and a moment of great joy for us amid so many hardships we are experiencing,” he said. “It’s yet another sign that we are not alone in the world”, he was quoted as saying.
Cuba used to receive most of its oil from Venezuela, but those shipments were halted ever since the US attacked the South American country and arrested its leader, Nicolas Maduro in early January.
Since then, Mexico also has halted its oil shipments to Cuba as Trump threatened in late January to impose tariffs on any country that sells or provides oil to the island.
On Sunday night, Trump had said he had “no problem” with a Russian oil tanker off the coast of Cuba delivering relief to the island.
