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Aid flotilla arrives in Cuba as country’s energy crisis deepens


A humanitarian aid vessel, laden with essential supplies, has docked in Havana, offering a lifeline to Cuba amidst its escalating economic and energy crises.

The ship, named “Granma 2.0” in a nod to revolutionary history, carried solar panels, bicycles, food, and medicine.

Its arrival comes as the island grapples with severe power outages, a failing grid, and the impact of a US energy blockade.

Activist Thiago Ávila, one of approximately 30 people disembarking, condemned the situation, stating: “This type of economic warfare shouldn’t exist, this attitude of a pirate state that doesn’t respect international law.”

He acknowledged the scale of the challenge, adding: “These ships are a drop in an ocean of need…at the same time, it’s a gesture of solidarity.”

This vessel, which sailed from Puerto Progreso, Mexico, is the first of three expected as part of the “Our America Convoy to Cuba” initiative.

The convoy has seen over 650 participants from 33 nations arrive on the island with aid, having been welcomed by President Miguel Díaz-Canel last weekend.

Aid flotilla arrives in Cuba as country’s energy crisis deepens
Some 30 people were aboard the first of three ships expected to arrive in Cuba as it grapples with severe blackouts, a crumbling power grid and a US energy blockade (Associated Press)

Visitors included British MP Jeremy Corbyn, Colombian Sen. Clara López, Spanish politician Pablo Iglesias, and US labour leader Chris Smalls. The popular Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap also participated.

The energy embargo imposed by US President Donald Trump in late January to bring pressure for a change in the island’s political model has compounded five years of profound economic crisis stemming from the paralysis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and previous US sanctions against the Caribbean nation.

Cuba is suffering from transportation shortages, reduced working hours, flight cancellations, and, above all, blackouts, including two island-wide blackouts in recent days.

Trump and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio — whose parents emigrated from Cuba in the 1950s — have said they were prepared to “take” the island. Authorities from both countries acknowledged that they are holding talks, although they have not disclosed details.

Activists wave Cuban and Palestinian flags from the vessel Maguro, arriving from Mexico with humanitarian aid as part of the
Activists wave Cuban and Palestinian flags from the vessel Maguro, arriving from Mexico with humanitarian aid as part of the “Nuestra America,” or Our America convoy, in Havana Bay, Cuba (Associated Press)

Cuba’s Deputy Minister of Energy and Mines Argelio Abad Vigo last week said the country has gone three months without receiving supplies of diesel, fuel oil, gasoline, jet fuel, and liquefied petroleum gas, all of which are vital for the economy and electricity generation. Cuba produces barely 40 per cent of the fuel it needs.

Meanwhile, a Hong Kong-flagged vessel that was reportedly carrying 200,000 barrels of diesel from Russia to Cuba has instead docked in Venezuela, according to MarineTraffic, a project that tracks the movement of vessels around the globe using publicly available data.

Leaders from several countries and social organisations have warned that Cuba could be on the verge of a humanitarian crisis.

Countries including Mexico, China, Brazil and Italy and non-governmental groups from the United States are among those that have sent aid.

The international aid is usually distributed free of charge by the state through the network of stores that Cubans use to buy food, except in cases where a donor specifies that a shipment should have a specific destination, such as medicine for hospitals.