Mexico aims to resume oil shipments to Cuba soon. This plan, however, involves private companies rather than state enterprises, as stated by President Claudia Sheinbaum during her morning conference.
Following a U.S. attack on Venezuela and the capture of former President Nicolás Maduro on January 3, President Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on any country supplying fuel to Cuba. This action exacerbated Cuba’s existing energy crisis. Historically, Mexico, along with Venezuela and Russia, has been a significant fuel supplier to the island. State-run Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) had halted several planned fuel shipments as a result.
A Russian tanker has been the only one to deliver fuel since then, docking in late March on Cuba’s northern coast with a load of 730,000 barrels of oil. In response, Claudia Sheinbaum expressed interest in utilizing newly approved economic laws in Havana to restart supplies through Mexican businessmen stationed on the island.
“The mechanism would involve private companies authorized to transfer fuel to Cuba,”
she stated without providing additional details. Sheinbaum expressed hope that commercial transfers could resume shortly, although she did not specify a timeline. Simultaneously, Mexico plans to continue sending humanitarian aid.
Cuba generates just 40% of its required fuel, relying heavily on imports to maintain its struggling power grid. The U.S. energy blockade has severely worsened the Cuban economic situation, causing more frequent power outages, reductions in food rationing, and shortages of water and medicines.
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