Interfax News Agency reported that the Russian tanker Anatoly Kolodkin arrived in Cuba on Monday, carrying a humanitarian shipment of about '100,000 tons of crude oil.

The ship is expected to unload its cargo in the port of Matanzas.

LSEG ship tracking data showed that the vessel was moving along Cuba's -northern coast after U.S. president Donald Trump indicated he would reversing his course and allow oil shipments from any country to Cuba. He said he had a "no issue" with anyone sending crude oil to the Caribbean nation. Cuba needs to import fuel oil and diesel in order to generate power and prevent further outages, while petrol sales are strictly rationed.

After the overthrow of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, on January 3, the U.S. halted Venezuelan oil exports. Trump also threatened to impose a?tariff on any country that shipped crude to Cuba. Mexico, along with Venezuela, was the biggest supplier of oil to Cuba. It then stopped its shipments. According to President Miguel Diaz-Canel, as a result of this, Cuba hasn't received an oil tanker for three months. This has exacerbated an energy crisis that led to blackouts in the 10 million strong country. Cuban health officials claim that the crisis has increased the mortality rate for cancer patients in Cuba, particularly children. (Reporting and editing by Guy Faulconbridge, Kate Mayberry and Vladimir Soldatkin)

(source: Reuters)