Mexico's state-owned oil firm has canceled plans to deliver a crude shipment to Cuba, according to documents that indicate the cargo was removed from the company's schedule. The shipment had been planned to load in mid-January and was expected to reach Cuba before the end of the month.
The adjustment in Pemex's schedule arrives amid heightened tensions between Washington and Havana. In a post on Truth Social, President Donald Trump asserted:
That statement came a week after what was described in reports as the capture of Nicolas Maduro by US forces."THERE WILL BE NO MORE OIL OR MONEY GOING TO CUBA - ZERO!"
Prior to the president's declaration, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum had indicated that Mexico intended to continue supplying oil to Cuba under the rubric of humanitarian assistance. Cuba has been coping with chronic power outages as well as shortages of fuel and food, creating a context in which additional energy deliveries had been framed as humanitarian support.
The recently removed cargo had been slated to load in mid-January, with the arrival in Cuba scheduled before the month's close, but is no longer listed on the carrier's planned movements. The decision to drop the shipment from the schedule occurred as public pressure from the United States on Cuba increased, and after the U.S. president's public pronouncement to halt oil and monetary flows to the island.
Mexico's earlier position, as signaled by its president, suggested an intent to continue bilateral aid shipments to Cuba to address urgent shortages. The subsequent removal of the scheduled crude highlights the tension between Mexico's stated humanitarian intent and the evolving diplomatic and political pressures influencing energy shipments to Cuba.
Details in the available documents show the cargo was taken off the manifest, but they do not provide further information on whether alternative arrangements for Cuban fuel needs will be made or how long the cancellation will remain in effect. The broader situation includes ongoing electricity interruptions and scarcity of essential supplies within Cuba, circumstances that had framed Mexico's prior signals of continued aid.
Contextual note: The timeline and statements described reflect the contemporaneous public declarations and document indications related to the scheduled shipment and the diplomatic environment surrounding it.