Tanker carrying fuel originally bound for Cuba diverts to Trinidad

A tanker carrying fuel originally bound for Cuba on Friday changed its destination to Trinidad and Tobago, according to LSEG ship-tracking data, a blow for the island amid a severe fuel scarcity that has triggered power blackouts.

Cuba on Tuesday reconnected its power grid and brought online its largest thermal electricity plant, ending a nationwide blackout that lasted more than 29 hours. But the US move to choke off fuel supply to Cuba's government could cause more outages, Cuban officials have said.

The Hong Kong-flagged vessel Sea Horse loaded a diesel cargo earlier this year through a ship-to-ship transfer in the Mediterranean before setting sail to the Caribbean.

The Russian-origin cargo was bound for Cuba, according to several maritime intelligence firms, but the ship had suspended course in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean since late February.

The tanker has changed course and is heading south to Trinidad, with an estimated arrival on Monday, according to the LSEG data, leaving Cuba with no immediate supplies in sight.