The administration of Donald Trump allowed the vessel, the Anatoly Kolodkin, to proceed despite an ongoing US energy blockade.

A Russian-flagged tanker carrying 730,000 barrels of oil has arrived in Cuba, marking the first delivery to the island in three months.

The administration of Donald Trump allowed the vessel, the Anatoly Kolodkin, to proceed despite an ongoing US energy blockade.

The Aframax tanker entered the Bay of Matanzas the country’s main supertanker and fuel storage hub at dawn on Tuesday.

Although under US sanctions, the tanker entered Cuban waters late Sunday, near the Guantanamo Bay.

Washington said the shipment was permitted on humanitarian grounds.

The ship arrived under clear skies, but much of the nearby city and large parts of Cuba remained without electricity at the time.

According to President Miguel Díaz-Canel, the absence of oil shipments over the past three months has worsened a severe energy crisis, triggering widespread blackouts and pushing hospitals, transport systems, and agriculture toward collapse in the country of 10 million people.

Officials and residents, including Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy, welcomed the tanker’s arrival.

Fuel shortages have deepened an already fragile economy, leaving Cubans facing prolonged power outages and critical shortages of food and medicine.

“Our gratitude to the Government and People of Russia for their continued support. This is a valuable shipment arriving at a very difficult time,” de la O Levy said.

If successfully delivered, the fuel could offer temporary relief to Cuba’s government as pressure mounts from Washington, where the Trump administration has signaled a tougher stance on the island nation.

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