Russia Sends 100,000 Tons of Oil to Cuba on U.S.-Sanctioned Tanker

In January, Russia exported Urals crude oil to Cuba aboard the tanker Akademik Gubkin, a vessel currently under United States sanctions. The tanker is expected to reach the island soon. Loaded on January 29 with 100,000 tons of crude at the Russian port of Ust-Luga in the Baltic Sea, the Akademik Gubkin is now crossing the Atlantic and is anticipated to arrive at Cuba’s Matanzas terminal on February 19, according to a Reuters report.

Tracking platforms like Marine Traffic and Vesselfinder show that the Akademik Gubkin does not disclose a destination port, a common practice in Russian oil shipments to Cuba. Operated by Rosnefteflot, the maritime transportation division of Russia's state-owned oil company Rosneft, the tanker is part of Moscow's strategy to diversify its buyers using a parallel fleet of tankers, as indicated by financial data company London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG).

A Vessel Under U.S. Sanctions

The Akademik Gubkin (IMO 9842190) was added to the sanctions list of the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on January 10 of this year, specifically under the section pertaining to Rosnefteflot. The Biden Administration imposed these sanctions shortly before leaving office as part of a broader package targeting Russia’s oil industry, which affected 183 vessels, including those in the so-called "shadow fleet."

This shadow fleet consists of ships employed to bypass international restrictions on oil trade, facilitating shipments to countries avoiding Western sanctions.

Declining Russian Oil Imports

According to LSEG data, in 2024, Cuba imported approximately 100,000 tons of Russian crude, marking a significant decline from the 200,000 tons in 2023 and 600,000 tons in 2022. This decrease coincides with the European Union's total embargo on Russian crude, which took effect in December 2022, forcing Moscow to redirect most of its maritime exports to Asia and other markets.

Trade-Offs and Financial Talks

In recent months, Rosneft arranged flights to Cuba for hundreds of its employees under a "tourism for oil" scheme approved by both Moscow and Havana. Meanwhile, Cuban Ambassador to Russia Julio Antonio Garmendía announced earlier this year that both governments were negotiating a $60 million credit for purchasing Russian fuel. However, confirmation of this deal remains pending.

U.S. sanctions aim to disrupt the Kremlin's revenue flow, heavily reliant on hydrocarbon exports to fund its invasion of Ukraine. Despite these restrictions, Russia continues to leverage its network of sanctioned tankers to sustain its exports and strengthen ties with strategic allies like Cuba.

Meanwhile, Cuba faces a severe fuel shortage, exacerbated by the recent failure of Unit 1 at the Felton Thermoelectric Plant, which will be out of service for about 20 days, plunging the country into a looming energy crisis.