A tanker sanctioned by Western nations, the Anatolij Kolodkin, loaded 730,000 barrels of oil at Russia’s Primorsk port on March 8 and was en route toward the Eastern Atlantic Ocean, heading for Cuba as of 4:00 PM GMT on Wednesday, according to marine transport analytics firm Kpler.
Data from the firm indicates the vessel, which flies the Russian flag and is owned by Russian state shipping company Sovcomflot, is expected to discharge its cargo at the Matanzas oil terminal on the island’s northern coast around March 23.
Kpler data similarly shows that nearly 200,000 barrels of diesel fuel were transferred to another tanker, the Sea Horse, which sails under the flag of Hong Kong, near the coast of Cyprus in late January. Russia’s increasing reliance on alternative shipping routes to deliver energy resources highlights the ongoing impact of international sanctions.
Tracking data reveals the Sea Horse departed the Mediterranean Sea on February 13 and has since been traveling west across the Atlantic Ocean, slowing its speed and maintaining an erratic course from late February through early March.
As of 4:30 PM GMT on Wednesday, the vessel was located in the northwestern Caribbean Sea, approximately 1,000 miles from the Cuban coast.
The Anatolij Kolodkin is subject to sanctions imposed by the United States, the European Union, and the United Kingdom.
In January, former U.S. President Donald Trump increased pressure on Cuba by devaluing a key ally – Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro – and imposing an oil blockade on Venezuela.
Cuba has not imported oil since January 9, after receiving a shipment from Mexico following Maduro’s removal, which was subsequently pressured by Trump to halt deliveries.
