U.S. Coast Guard Seizes Ships Smuggling Fuel to Cuba
The U.S. Coast Guard intercepted two vessels transporting fuel to Cuba as part of a Trump administration blockade to force political change.
The United States Coast Guard intercepted two vessels, the container ship Grace and the Jaira Provider, for illegally transporting fuel to Cuba. The Grace was stopped on September 5 in the Caribbean Sea after using dark fleet tactics to avoid detection, while the Jaira Provider was seized earlier this summer carrying 210,000 gallons of fuel. Both ships had last called at Colón, Panama.
These seizures are part of a fuel blockade implemented by the Trump administration to force political and economic transformation in Cuba. The blockade, coupled with the January seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, has crippled Cuba's fuel supply, resulting in nationwide blackouts and shortages of food and water. While the United States Department of the Treasury allows fuel exports to private Cuban businesses, the Cuban government has denounced the blockade as an act of war.
Coast Guard Commandant Kevin Lunday stated that deceptive actors engaging in illicit activities will not evade justice. Secretary of State Marco Rubio attributed the resulting humanitarian crisis to the Cuban regime, asserting that the disaster is a result of the regime's own failures.
