US Coast Guard has stopped vessels carrying fuel to Cuba

The U.S. Coast Guard said on Friday that it had concluded the interdiction of a motor vessel carrying fuel to Cuba.

According to the USCG statement, this followed “a coordinated international enforcement effort” that confirmed what they termed the “illicit trafficking of fuel to Cuba” by the vessel.

The official statement from the Coast Guard said a tactical team boarded the vessel in the Caribbean Sea as it was transiting to Cuba.

The ship was suspected of “employing tactics common amongst the dark fleet,” the Coast Guard said in a statement.

Shipping Telegraph cannot independently verify the claim of the US Coast Guard.

Following the boarding, the Coast Guard escorted the vessel to Progreso in Mexico, where a Mexican Navy (MARINA) inspection team “confirmed the presence of large quantities of fuel in the vessel’s ballast tanks. The vessel was also carrying several containers believed to contain illicit fuel,” the statement added.

“Illicit fuel shipments violate international law and pose severe environmental threats in the Caribbean Sea,” said vice admiral Nate Moore, deputy commandant for operations. “As the Coast Guard leverages our unique authorities and capabilities on the high seas, coordinated efforts are vital to stopping illegal fuel shipments and upholding international law.”

The operation involved the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Alert (WMEC-630) and cutter Charles Sexton (WPC-1108), a U.S. Coast Guard HC-144 fixed-wing aircraft, the U.S. Coast Guard Tactical Law Enforcement Team South, and the U.S. Coast Guard Southeast District watchstanders.

The interdiction of the container ship follows the Coast Guard’s boarding and detention of another vessel determined to be carrying illicit fuel to Cuba earlier this summer.

“The high seas are not a sanctuary for lawlessness,” pointed out admiral Kevin Lunday, commandant of the Coast Guard. “Dark fleet actors who employ deceptive tactics to engage in illicit activities will not evade justice. The Coast Guard is bringing every capability to bear to interdict these vessels and uphold international law.”