The Cuban government has refuted claims that a fuel tanker from Russia docked in Havana, despite satellite tracking platforms indicating its arrival last Wednesday. "No Russian ship carrying fuel is coming to the country," stated Vicente de La O Levy, the Minister of Energy and Mines, during a special podcast addressing the nation's energy crisis.
De La O Levy emphasized that there was never any official information regarding such an event and dismissed the reports as a "provocation" aimed at eliciting a response. "There are those who provoke, and such insinuations are made to expect a reaction," he remarked.
The minister assured that he keeps abreast of all publications both on social media and in state-run media outlets. "There are numerous comments to which we can sometimes respond, while others are very sensitive, requiring us to take our time for thorough analysis. Remember, we have an adversary scrutinizing every word," he highlighted.
Contrary to the minister's statements, maritime tracking applications reveal that the PVT Clara, sailing under the Panamanian flag, arrived in Havana on October 2 and departed this past Saturday. The vessel, with a capacity of 20,831 tons, set sail from Russia on September 14.
Enduring Energy Crisis
The ongoing energy crisis has plunged the population into a constant state of distress, enduring power outages lasting more than 10 hours daily in many areas. For Saturday, the Electric Union (UNE) anticipated a peak-hour shortfall of 1,140 MW, with five thermoelectric units out of service due to breakdowns and two more undergoing maintenance, in addition to 44 distributed generation plants halted due to fuel shortages.
On Friday, the service was disrupted by a capacity generation deficit throughout the day and persisted into the early hours today. The maximum deficit during peak hours reached 1,198 MW at 7:40 p.m., exceeding the planned 1,086 MW.