Colombian Ship Arrives in Havana with Humanitarian Aid as US Tightens Sanctions on Cuba
A Colombian ship carrying nearly 100 tonnes of food and essential goods docked in Havana on Friday to ease Cuba's crisis, while the US announced new sanctions on Cuba's oil company and threatened military action.
A vessel loaded with nearly 100 tonnes of essential goods arrived in Cuba from Colombia on Friday, as the island grapples with a worsening economic and energy crisis exacerbated by US sanctions. The ship, flying the Colombian flag and escorted by a Cuban auxiliary boat, crossed Havana Bay early in the morning. It departed Cartagena in early June.
The Colombian Presidential Agency for International Cooperation stated that, under President Gustavo Petro's orders, the shipment included non-perishable food, medicines, hospital supplies, electrical materials, solar panels, and other goods. Additionally, seven tonnes of items were collected by solidarity groups. This follows a previous shipment of 1,700 tonnes from Mexico and Belize that arrived last weekend.
Meanwhile, the US announced new sanctions against Cuba's state-owned oil and gas company on Thursday, a move expected to increase bilateral tensions. This came nearly a week after the US sanctioned Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel and other officials, as well as several institutions. Cuba has been under a decades-long US embargo and now faces a severe fuel shortage. Power outages, already common due to the economic and energy crisis over the past five years, have intensified since Trump threatened tariffs in late January on any country selling oil to Cuba.
Cuba's government stated on Wednesday that the US oil blockade prevents the United Nations from distributing 170 containers of humanitarian aid. Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said on X that the aid, worth $6.3 million (€5.4 million), "is not reaching beneficiaries due to the fuel shortage." He stressed that the blockade hampers not only the Cuban economy but also international organizations' work.
Both countries have acknowledged talks, but their scope remains unknown. Trump has threatened military action in Cuba after US military operations in Venezuela and the arrest of Nicolás Maduro. Last Thursday, Trump claimed Cuba has "sort of collapsed" and said the US would handle it after finishing military operations in Iran.
