US Trading Company Plans Largest Fuel Shipment to Cuba Since Cold War Embargo
Vanguard Energy is in advanced talks to send Cuba 250,000 barrels of diesel and petrol, marking the largest US fuel cargo to the island since the Eisenhower administration's 1960 embargo. The shipment comes as Cuba faces an acute energy crisis following reduced Venezuelan oil supplies and US sanctions. The deal represents a significant shift in US-Cuba energy relations and reflects Cuba's deepening economic hardship.
Florida-based Vanguard Energy is preparing to export 250,000 barrels of fuel (100,000 barrels of petrol and 150,000 of diesel) to Cuba, potentially the largest US fuel shipment to the island since President Eisenhower froze most trade in 1960 following Castro's seizure of American oil assets. The company has already secured Cuban government approval, leased storage tanks on the island, and preliminarily arranged a US-flagged ship and Texas refinery supply. The fuel is designated exclusively for Cuba's private sector, which now includes roughly 9,200 small enterprises permitted to import fuel following the government's February policy shift. Cuba's energy crisis intensified in 2025-2026 after the US imposed a de facto oil blockade on Venezuela, previously the island's main benefactor, and after Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro's ouster. The Trump administration is using energy restrictions as leverage to push for political and economic reforms, leaving Cuba without sufficient fuel for power generation and causing prolonged blackouts that have sparked public unrest.
What's missing
The article does not provide details on the timeline for when this shipment would occur, the specific price or commercial terms of the deal, or confirmation from US Treasury and State Department officials regarding approval of the transaction.
What different sources said
- The Straits TimesCenter
Cuba poised for biggest US fuel shipment since Cold War embargo
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