Observers monitoring the Cuban situation said that a US coast guard ship recently blocked a fuel tanker en route to Havana.
Flight data shows that the Ocean Mariner ship carrying chemicals and oil products, with a tonnage of 13,000 tons, suddenly changed direction when entering the area between Cuba and Haiti.
The administration of US President Donald Trump has cut off all oil supplies to Cuba since the beginning of January, after arresting Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro on January 3.
The new government in Venezuela is said to have received instructions to stop oil exports and support energy for Cuba. The US also warned of new tariffs on countries that sell oil to Cuba, including Mexico, if it does not stop oil shipments to the Caribbean island nation.
The most recent shipment to Cuba was made by Ocean Mariner on January 9, carrying about 86,000 barrels of fuel from Mexico. On February 5, the ship left Colombia, the AIS signal showed "waiting for orders" but moved north.
When entering the Windward Passage between Cuba and Haiti, the ship suddenly turned around, went south of Haiti and followed the coast of the Dominican Republic, instead of continuing to Cuba.
Previously, the US Coast Guard (USCG) announced that the USS Stockdale, USCGC Stone and USCGC Diligence ships were present in Port-au-Prince Bay (Haiti) as part of a commitment to ensuring regional security and stability.
Media reports that USCG Stone patrolled Windward Passage at the time the Ocean Mariner changed direction. There is no information about inspection or arrest, but the oil tanker has not yet returned to its route to Cuba.
The situation in Cuba is described as "despairing", with widespread prolonged power outages. Some analysts suggest that Cuba's fuel reserves may only be enough for about 20 days.
Although oil supplies are tightened, humanitarian aid still arrives in Havana. Two Mexican navy ships have docked at the port of Cuba, carrying liquid milk and powder, processed meat, biscuits, beans, rice, tuna, sardines, vegetable oil and personal necessities. Mexico has announced that it will continue to send more aid in the coming days, but has not yet taken action to resume oil exports.
The Chilean government also announced that it will support Cuba with 1 million USD through the "Chile Against Poverty" fund, implemented through the United Nations to ensure aid reaches civilians.
Chilean Foreign Minister Alberto van Klaveren affirmed that this is a standard approach in crises such as Gaza or Ukraine, and resources will not be transferred directly to the Cuban government but will be funded for on-site humanitarian projects.
