A port worker moors the Asian Katra cargo ship after it arrives in Havana Bay, Cuba, on Monday. The merchant vessel docked carrying humanitarian aid from Mexico and Uruguay for Cubans facing power outages and a severe economic crisis worsened by US restrictions on fuel supplies. Photo by Ernesto Mastrascusa/EPA
May 18 (UPI) — A shipment of humanitarian aid sent by Mexico and Uruguay arrived in Cuba on Monday as the island faces a severe energy and economic crisis amid the tightening of the U.S. economic, trade and financial embargo.
The merchant vessel Asian Katra docked at the Port of Havana carrying powdered milk, rice, beans and other basic necessities.
The Panama-flagged ship delivered more than 1,600 tons of humanitarian assistance. Mexico’s contribution included food and hygiene products, while Uruguay’s shipment consisted exclusively of staple food items, according to Uruguayan digital outlet La Prensa.
Speaking to reporters, Cuban Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Trade Minister Óscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga said the aid would be distributed directly to those most in need, particularly children, older adults and vulnerable populations, according to Cuba’s state-run newspaper Granma.
Mexico’s ambassador to Cuba, Miguel Díaz Reynoso, said the shipment marked the eighth humanitarian vessel sent by the Mexican government in support of the Cuban people. He added that Mexican donations have now surpassed 6,000 tons of aid.
Díaz Reynoso also highlighted the participation of Mexican civil society groups, which have organized donation drives through various organizations and community initiatives.
On May 11, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced another humanitarian aid shipment would be sent to help “ease the suffering” of the Cuban people.
“We will continue sending humanitarian aid to people that need it,” Sheinbaum said.
Asked whether Mexico could send oil to the island, Sheinbaum said Cuba was already receiving petroleum supplies from Russia and that her government was instead focused on “other humanitarian support.”
However, the last successful Russian oil delivery to Cuba occurred March 31, when the Russian-flagged tanker Anatoly Kolodkin arrived at the port of Matanzas.
The vessel carried what Cuban authorities described as a humanitarian shipment of 100,000 tons of crude oil, ending a three-month interruption in energy imports following tighter U.S. naval enforcement measures earlier this year.
Although the shipment temporarily eased pressure on Cuba’s electrical grid, the reserves were depleted within about two weeks.
A second Russian tanker carrying diesel fuel, the Universal, has reportedly remained adrift in the Atlantic Ocean for nearly a month because of difficulties bypassing financial sanctions imposed by the Trump administration..
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