Venezuela ramps up gasoline, food supply to Cuba -documents

(Reuters) - Venezuela has ramped up shipments of gasoline and food to Cuba since November, providing key supplies to one of President Nicolas Maduro’s closest allies, according to documents from Venezuelan state-run oil company PDVSA and Refinitiv Eikon tanker tracking data.

From late November through early January, PDVSA shipped at least three cargoes carrying about 197,000 barrels of gasoline, along with other refined products to Cuba’s Nuevitas, Matanzas and Havana ports, the documents and data showed.

The cargoes arrived at the Caribbean nation’s ports aboard the Cuban-flagged tankers Maria Cristina and Alicia.

PDVSA, Venezuela’s oil ministry and Cuba’s foreign ministry did not reply to requests for comment.

Venezuela had minimized gasoline exports to Cuba since early 2020 as its domestic production dwindled due to the poor condition of PDVSA’s refineries. Fuel shortages in the OPEC nation have left long lines of consumers waiting for gasoline and diesel at stations.

Both Venezuela and Cuba are under U.S. sanctions, including on oil supply and shipping between the nations,