Overview
- Reuters reported Wednesday that about 30,000 barrels have reached private Cuban companies since early February under U.S. export licenses.
- Since January, Washington has squeezed state-run supply with a de facto oil blockade while allowing licensed sales to non-state firms to gain leverage, as Secretary of State Marco Rubio explained.
- Most fuel has arrived as diesel in roughly 200 ISO tanks that container ships can move and store more safely than gasoline on the island.
- The flows have helped some private shops, breadmakers, and the online grocer Supermarket23 keep working, even as nationwide blackouts strain public transport, power, and tourism.
- U.S. licenses forbid resale and warn of cancellation if fuel is diverted to the state or military, and Cuban authorities have set storage and dispatch rules to keep these supplies within the private sector.