Venezuela uses ships that tamper with radar to supply oil to Cuba

Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA has begun using tankers that tamper with radar data to supply its closest political ally, Cuba, as the fleet of state ships that historically covered the route dwindles, according to documents and data monitoring services. ships.

Cuba and its main oil supplier, Venezuela, have for more than a decade exclusively used their own tankers to sail between the two countries.

Delayed vessel maintenance, however, has taken some ships out of service, and the emergence of Mexico as a new supplier to Cuba, using some of the same ships, has caused both countries to revamp routes to bring desperately needed crude oil and fuel. to the island.

A large portion of the tanker fleets owned by Venezuela and Cuba are under US sanctions, which also limits their travel. Operated by third parties, dark fleet ships often lack Western insurance and send false location signals to disguise their movement.

In June, PDVSA began loading ships with crude oil and fuel to land a portion in Cuban waters and, from there, depart for destinations in Asia to unload the remaining volume, according to company shipping documents.

The vessels spoof their signal, making them appear to be elsewhere in the Caribbean while unloading in Cuba, often through ship-to-ship transfers, according to monitoring service TankerTrackers.com and a Planet Labs satellite photo seen by Reuters.

PDVSA and the foreign ministries of Venezuela and Cuba did not provide comment. It was not immediately clear whether the use of third-party ships to supply Cuba is temporary.

The secret aid comes as demand for electricity produced by oil-fired plants increases during Cuba’s sweltering summers.

Blackouts that were once occasional in Cuba have become routine as imported supplies are limited and logistical problems complicate the domestic distribution of fuel for its aging power plants.