Venezuelan Oil Tanker Amidst U.S. Supervision: Fuel Bound for Cuba?

A Venezuelan oil tanker, which has supplied fuel to Cuba since April last year, recently loaded 150,000 barrels of gasoline. This activity raises speculation about potential shipments to Cuba under U.S. oversight. The tanker's departure remains uncertain, while Cuba grapples with extended fuel lines.

A Venezuelan oil tanker, known for delivering fuel to Cuba since April of the previous year, completed loading a substantial 150,000-barrel shipment of gasoline. This development is noted in a shipping schedule reviewed by Reuters, indicating a potential preparation for sending supplies to Cuba under U.S. supervision.

By Thursday, it was unclear if the vessel had departed from Venezuelan waters. The tanker was last observed in Venezuelan territory on Monday through the monitoring service TankerTrackers.com. Reuters has not yet confirmed the tanker's intended destination.

Current regulations permit any vessel to leave Venezuelan waters only with U.S. approval, owing to the ongoing U.S. military presence in the Caribbean. Meanwhile, Cuban President Miguel Diaz Canel addressed the nation from Havana, discussing the critical energy situation as fuel lines continue to elongate at stations across the island.

(With inputs from agencies.)