Overview
- Cuba now permits private firms to import diesel and gasoline under US OFAC licenses, ending the state monopoly, though uptake depends on suppliers willing to face US pressure.
- A Cuban business owner says he arranged delivery of 25,000 liters of US diesel, with no stated volume cap, while resale to third parties remains prohibited.
- Authorities have imposed emergency conservation measures that include fuel rationing, curtailed public transport and health services, university closures, a four‑day workweek, and expanding power cuts.
- Economic fallout is mounting as Sherritt International prepares to pause mining and place its Moa processing plant on standby, the Festival del Habano is canceled, and Canadian and Russian airlines cut scheduled flights amid new travel warnings.
- The supply outlook remains uncertain: two Mexican navy ships delivered 814 tonnes of relief goods, a planned Pemex shipment did not sail after US pressure, and reports of a tanker entering Matanzas are unconfirmed while experts warn March could be worse if deliveries do not resume.