Mexico seeks to restart oil shipments to Cuba amid crisis

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced on Sunday that her country is seeking to restart oil shipments to Cuba, as the Caribbean island faces a humanitarian emergency driven by months of fuel deprivation that has shuttered schools, suspended hospital surgeries, and left millions without power for up to 20 hours a day.

Mexico's Push to Revive Shipments

The announcement, reported by the Associated Press on June 22, marks a reversal from January, when Mexico temporarily halted oil deliveries to Cuba amid pressure from the Trump administration's campaign to cut off the island's fuel supply. Sheinbaum said Mexico would work through commercial and private firms to resume shipments, framing the effort as both a humanitarian obligation and an exercise of sovereignty.reuters+3

Mexico had been supplying Cuba with roughly 19,200 barrels per day through Pemex subsidiary Gasolinas Bienestar between January and September 2025. The last confirmed Mexican shipment arrived in Havana on January 9 aboard the Ocean Mariner, carrying approximately 85,000 barrels of fuel from Veracruz.reuters+1

A Nation Running on Empty

Cuba's energy minister announced on May 14 that the country had completely run out of oil. The crisis traces to early 2026, when the U.S. halted Venezuelan oil shipments to Cuba following its military intervention in Venezuela in January, severing what had been the island's primary fuel lifeline. Venezuela had previously supplied Cuba with an estimated 30,000 to 70,000 barrels per day.wlrn+3

The consequences have cascaded through Cuban society. The UN reported in May that hospitals are suspending surgeries and struggling to operate lifesaving equipment, while blood banks, laboratories, and immunization programs face severe disruptions. Cuba's Ministry of Education ordered the school year to end between June 15 and June 30 — 15 days ahead of schedule — because persistent blackouts made in-person classes unfeasible. Outside Havana, power outages now stretch to 20 hours daily, according to the New York Times.upi+3

Uncertain Relief

A Florida-based trading company has been in advanced talks to send Cuba 250,000 barrels of diesel and gasoline — what Bloomberg reported would be the largest U.S. fuel shipment to the island since the Cold War-era embargo began. Meanwhile, a Russian tanker carrying 242,000 barrels of diesel that appeared bound for Cuba in late May diverted to South America.gcaptain+1

Whether Mexico can navigate U.S. sanctions to deliver fuel remains uncertain. As Al Jazeera reported in January, analysts have warned that Cuba's economy could collapse entirely as oil supplies from its traditional allies dry up.aljazeera