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| Russia ships fuel to Cuba using 'spoofing' tactic challenging Trump embargo: reports | |
| 2026-03-19 | |
Russia is covertly shipping oil to Cuba using deceptive shipping tactics to bypass U.S. sanctions, according to maritime intelligence reports, and as the island grapples with fuel shortages and power outages. One alleged delivery came amid one of Cuba’s worst energy crises and ahead of a grid collapse on March 16 which left roughly 10 million people without electricity, according to Cuban authorities and the U.S. Embassy in Cuba. "The Hong Kong-flagged tanker, which is not sanctioned, has AIS patterns that suggest the tanker spoofed its location and likely sailed to Cuba to discharge its cargo in early March," Windward AI said. The Financial Times also reported March 18 that another Russian-flagged tanker, Anatoly Kolodkin, carrying crude oil, was expected to reach Cuba by April 4. "We are ready to provide all possible assistance," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had told reporters at a briefing on Cuba on March 17, The Moscow Times reported. The alleged shipments came as senior officials at the State Department told Fox News that, under existing law, there are ways for Cuban companies and citizens to purchase oil, but said the Cuban regime is making that impossible. The U.S. oil embargo prevents the Cuban regime from purchasing oil only, the official confirmed. Windward AI first identified the tanker, Sea Horse, as the key vessel in the suspected clandestine oil delivery in its report on March 18. The firm said the vessel was thought to have transported around 190,000 to 200,000 barrels to Cuba while engaging in behavior consistent with sanctions evasion. Although the vessel is not under sanctions, Windward analysts flagged several suspicious activities. These included switching off its Automatic Identification System (AIS) during a ship-to-ship transfer near Cyprus — where it likely loaded its cargo — and sailing without Western insurance, both common indicators of sanctions circumvention. The tanker also repeatedly altered its stated destination, initially signaling Havana before changing to "Gibraltar for orders," a tactic often used to obscure final delivery points. | |
| Posted by:Skidmark |
| #2 |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2026-03-19 16:46 |
| #1 |
| Posted by: bman 2026-03-19 11:45 |