An oil tanker carrying Russian diesel is sailing to Cuba despite growing pressure from the United States on the Caribbean island’s fuel supplies. The information is from Windward, a maritime AI company.
According to the data captured, the Hong Kong-flagged medium-range tanker initially transmitted Havana as its destination on February 7, but later changed its AIS signal — a cooperative self-reporting vessel tracking system — to indicate arrival in the “Caribbean Sea” in about two weeks.
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The destination was later revised back to “Gibraltar for orders”, even after the tanker had already transited the strait. These adjustments are often used by vessels seeking to obscure their ultimate unloading intentions – in other words, they are part of the notorious international shipping ghost fleet.
Analysis suggests the vessel made the payload via a ship-to-ship transfer carried out offshore off Cyprus while its AIS transmission was temporarily switched off, a common practice of deceptive navigation.
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AIS data shows the tanker’s draft increased on February 8, several days after it left the area, which is often used by tankers for the floating storage and transfer of Russian intermediate distillate cargoes originating from Black Sea ports. The vessel remained in that area for approximately two weeks before leaving.
Ship-to-ship transfers outside territorial waters, where port-state oversight is limited, have become a common practice in the oil trade to circumvent sanctions and regulatory oversight.
Windward says that if the tanker arrives in Cuba in early March, it would mark the first confirmed arrival of a cargo of refined products to the Caribbean island since early January, according to analysis combined with commodity tracking data from Vortexa.
The loading came as fuel supply disruptions intensify across the Caribbean following new U.S. policy measures aimed at dissuading oil exports to Havana.
On January 29, Washington issued an executive order, declaring a national emergency and authorizing tariffs on imports from countries that supply oil to the island. The policy has already had a visible impact on regional shipping activity, deterring or delaying fuel deliveries to Cuba.
Recent transportation data supports this reading. A liquefied gas ship that routinely supplies the Cuban market diverted earlier this month to Kingston, Jamaica – a regional LPG cargo port. But, after waiting nine days at sea, it left empty and returned to Cuba empty.
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In a separate incident, a small oil tanker reportedly reversed course while sailing toward Cuba after passing Haiti, amid unconfirmed reports that a US Coast Guard boat had appeared.
Energy crisis
Increasing supply pressure is unfolding as Cuba faces a severe fuel shortage that has triggered widespread power outages and economic disruption. Cuban authorities and independent reports indicate that fuel shortages have reached crisis levels, affecting public services, transportation and hospitals.
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Oil shipments from key suppliers including Russia, Venezuela and Mexico were halted in January and February. This follows a broader escalation of pressure following the US capture of former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro on January 3. Russia promised to continue supporting the Caribbean country.
