A Russian oil tanker loaded with crude oil is continuing its journey toward Cuba in a move that could help ease the severe energy crisis the island has been facing for months.

According to vessel tracking data, the Russian tanker Anatoly Kolodkin, which departed from the port of Primorsk, is carrying approximately 650,000 barrels of crude oil. It is expected to arrive at the port of Matanzas in the coming days, provided there are no changes to its route.

This shipment comes at a time when Cuba is experiencing an acute fuel shortage due to U.S. sanctions imposed on the country. The crisis has led to widespread rationing of gasoline supplies and repeated power outages across the nation.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel had previously stated that the country “has not received oil imports for several months.”

The United States continues to enforce restrictions on energy supplies to Cuba as part of the policy of President Donald Trump’s administration, aimed at “pressuring the government in Havana.”