The vessel "Seahorse", which was transporting Russian diesel fuel for Cuba's energy needs, has stopped moving towards its destination and is currently drifting in the North Atlantic. The sudden change in the oil tanker's route threatens to deepen the fuel shortage on the Caribbean island, where the electricity supply situation has already reached catastrophic proportions. This is reported by Bloomberg, writes UNN.
Details
According to analytics company Kpler Ltd., the vessel is transporting about 200,000 barrels of Russian fuel, which was transshipped from another tanker near Cyprus.
Ship tracking monitoring services recorded the stop of the voyage on Wednesday, but the official reasons for the change of course have not yet been reported. Given the complex logistics of Russian exports under international sanctions, any delay of such a volume of fuel is critical for countries dependent on direct energy subsidies from Moscow.
Consequences for Cuba's energy system and population
The lack of imported fuel has already led to a sharp reduction in available electricity in the country since the beginning of 2026, paralyzing public transport and industrial facilities.
Russian tanker heads to Cuba, bypassing US sanctions amid island's energy collapse21.02.26, 06:14
Satellite images show a 50% decrease in night lighting on the island, indicating prolonged and large-scale power outages in residential areas.
The lack of fuel for power plants threatens the functioning of basic infrastructure, forcing the local population to face the most severe energy crisis in decades.