US Coast Guard intercepts cargo boat carrying fuel bound for Cuba, NYT reports

The US Coast Guard intercepted ​a large cargo ship ​carrying fuel bound ‌for Cuba ​as the Trump administration's crippling oil embargo against the island nation continued, the New York ‌Times reported on Friday. The 300-foot-long (91-meter-long) vessel named "Grace" was stopped in the Caribbean Sea between Cuba and Mexico on September 5 after using "dark fleet" ‌maneuvers in an attempt to evade authorities, the report said, ‌citing a Coast Guard statement.

The Coast Guard did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Trump administration has openly stated that its goal is to ⁠change Cuba's ​government. A ⁠US-imposed oil blockade implemented earlier this year has put the country under severe strain ⁠as it contends with fuel shortages and blackouts exacerbated by failing infrastructure.

Oil ​shipments from Cuba’s traditional suppliers, Venezuela and Mexico, ended abruptly ⁠after the US ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in January. US Coast Guard ⁠cutters patrol ​the waters off Cuba, while sanctions and threats have dissuaded tankers from even setting sail. It was unclear how much ⁠fuel "Grace" was carrying, the Times said.

Coast Guard officials did not reveal how ⁠they knew ⁠the fuel was headed to Cuba but said that assessment had been based on intelligence, the report said.