MATANZAS: A Russian oil tanker docked in a Cuban port on Tuesday to deliver the first crude shipment to the crisis-hit island since January after Washington gave a reprieve from its fuel blockade.&nbsp;The Anatoly Kolodkin, a tanker under US sanctions, entered the port of Matanzas, east of Havana, after sunrise to bring 730,000 barrels of crude following a three-week journey from Russia.&nbsp;US President Donald Trump&#39;s decision to let Russia deliver the oil avoids a confrontation with Moscow and provides temporary relief to a country that has endured blackouts, fuel rationing and dwindling public transportation.&nbsp;&quot;It&#39;s great that the country is receiving oil because we need it for the crisis we are facing,&quot; Yoanna Rivero, a 49-year-old pharmacy worker who was exercising near the port, told AFP.&nbsp;Felipe Serrano, a 76-year-old security guard, was waiting for the Russian ship to arrive.&nbsp;&quot;This is crucial for us to be able to survive because the country is paralyzed,&quot; he said.&nbsp;Analysts, however, said the shipment would give Cuba only a brief respite.&nbsp;&quot;It can offer temporary breathing room, but it does not come close to resolving the scale of the deficit the country is facing,&quot; Ricardo Torres, a Cuban economist at American University in Washington, told AFP.&nbsp;&quot;It is clearly not enough,&quot; he said, noting Cuba&#39;s power problems are &quot;structural rather than episodic.&quot;&nbsp;The Russian crude will be refined to produce gasoline for transportation as well as diesel and fuel oil for backup power generators, Irenaldo Perez, deputy director of the state-run oil firm CUPET, told official media.&nbsp;Analysts say it could take around three weeks to refine and distribute.&nbsp;The Cuban foreign ministry thanked Russia for its solidarity, saying on X &quot;this valuable assistance arrives amid the energy blockade imposed by the United States, which is trying to strangle the Cuban people.&quot;&nbsp;The Russian embassy in Cuba said on X it was its &quot;duty to help our Cuban brothers under these difficult conditions!&quot;

Europe

Americas

A Russian tanker delivered 730,000 barrels of crude to Cuba after US eased blockade. The shipment offers temporary relief from fuel shortages and blackouts, but analysts say it is insufficient to solve Cuba’s ongoing energy crisis.

Russian oil tanker docks in Cuba after US blockade relief

TEHRAN: Iran&#39;s Revolutionary Guards on Wednesday seized an oil tanker in the Gulf carrying more than a dozen foreign crew members, state media reported. The vessel &quot;was carrying 4 million litres of smuggled fuel with 16 non-Iranian crew members on board,&quot; state television quoted navy commander General Abbas Gholamshahi as saying. Forces from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) &quot;boarded the ship ... as it was leaving Iranian territorial waters,&quot; he added. It was not immediately clear which flag the ship was flying. Iranian forces regularly announce the interception of ships it says are illegally transporting fuel in the Gulf. They regularly target tankers that Tehran accuses of being part of the illicit trade in the Strait of Hormuz, a key chokepoint for global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments. Wednesday&#39;s seizure is the latest in a series of similar incidents in recent weeks. Earlier in December authorities seized a tanker in the Gulf of Oman with 18 crew members from India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh on board. That interception came days after the United States seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. According to Washington, the ship&#39;s captain was transporting oil from Venezuela and Iran. The US Treasury sanctioned Venezuela in 2022 over alleged ties to the IRGC and Hezbollah. Retail fuel prices in Iran are among the lowest in the world, making smuggling fuel to other countries particularly profitable. Last month, Iran seized an oil tanker in Gulf waters &quot;for carrying an unauthorised cargo&quot;. Also in November, the IRGC confirmed they had seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf.

Middle East

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards seized an oil tanker in the Gulf carrying 4 million litres of fuel and 16 foreign crew members, part of ongoing interceptions of ships accused of illegal fuel transport

Articles tagged with "oil tanker"

Russian oil tanker docks in Cuba after US blockade relief

Iran Guards seize foreign-crewed oil tanker in Gulf: state media