US Coast Guard Seizes Cargo Ship Accused of Smuggling Fuel to Cuba

Washington, D.C. — The United States Coast Guard announced Friday that it had seized the cargo ship Grace after accusing it of transporting fuel to Cuba illegally.

The operation began in early September, when a team from the Coast Guard’s tactical units boarded the freighter in the Caribbean Sea.

After the boarding, the vessel was escorted to the Mexican port of Progreso, Yucatán, where the Mexican Navy carried out an in-depth inspection. The search confirmed the presence of large quantities of fuel in the ship’s ballast tanks, “an inherent danger to the marine environment,” according to a Coast Guard statement.

The Grace “also was carrying several containers suspected of holding illegal fuel,” the statement added.

The 300-foot (91-meter) ship was intercepted in the Caribbean between Cuba and Mexico on September 5 after using “dark fleet” maneuvers in an attempt to evade authorities, according to a New York Times report citing a Coast Guard statement.

The Coast Guard did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Oil Blockade

The Trump administration has openly stated that its goal is to change Cuba’s government. The oil blockade imposed by the United States earlier this year has put severe pressure on the country, which faces fuel shortages and power outages compounded by poor infrastructure.

Oil shipments from Cuba’s traditional suppliers, Venezuela and Mexico, were abruptly halted after the United States seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January.

US Coast Guard vessels patrol the waters off Cuba, while sanctions and threats have deterred tankers from even setting sail.

It was not clear how much fuel the Grace was carrying, the Times reported.

Coast Guard officials did not disclose how they knew the fuel was bound for Cuba, but said the assessment was based on intelligence, according to the report.

The seizure of the Grace follows the boarding and detention of the Jaira Provider, another cargo ship intercepted earlier this summer on the same grounds.