Anatoly-Kolodkin

The US government let the 'Anatoly Kolodkin' dock in Cuba, alleviating an energy crisis triggered when the US prohibited deliveries to the country. On Mrch 30 the vessel entered Cuban. Waters. The 'Anatoly Kolodkin' was carrying around 730,000 barrels of crude. Cuban officials have taken some steps to work with the US in recent days, including allowing fuel for the US Embassy to arrive on the island after earlier saying publicly that they would prevent it because of the broader US near-total blockade, according to the people. On the afternoon of March 29, the ship had approached the island from Haitian waters as it headed towards the port of Matanzas. The fuel shipment should be enough to power Cuba’s thermoelectric power plants for about a week, given they required about 100,000 barrels of oil a day to meet demand. Cuba’s domestic production accounts for only around two-fifths of that. On March 31 unloading of thd cargo commenced. It will take between 25 and 35 days before the oil can be fully processed and distributed domestically. Report with photo: https://gcaptain.com/russian-oil-tanker-begins-discharging-cargo-in-cubas-matanzas-terminal/

The sanctioned 'Anatoly Kolodkin' was transiting the Caribbean Sea with a cargo of approximately 730,000 barrels of unrefined crude oil. After crossing the Atlantic at an average speed of 11 knots, the tanker has updated its AIS vector, indicating a direct heading toward Cuba. On March 26, it was five sailing days away. The last tanker to dock in Cuba with crude oil from abroad was the 'Ocean Mariner' on Jan 9, carrying cargo from Mexico. As the shipment was oil, whileCuba needs is diesel, the cargo (and the ship's size suggested that the 'Anatoly Kolodkin' could head either to the oil logistics hub of Matanzas (northwest) or to Cienfuegos (south-central), a bay with a major refinery. The transit through the English Channel and the Ouessant Strait around March 16 had been conducted under the escort of the Russian Navy Steregushchiy-class corvette 'Soobrazitelniy', suggesting a strategic priority for the shipment. A U.S. Navy Destroyer has been positioned in the waters north of Cuba. Analysts expected the tanker to disable its AIS, once it approaches the Cuban coast to obscure the exact point of discharge. The shipment appeared to be a critical energy supply mission to mitigate the current fuel deficit in Cuba. While the Hong Kong-flagged tanker 'Sea Horse', transporting a cargo of diesel fuel, was diverted to Trinidad due to mechanical failure, the 'Anatoly Kolodkin' remains the primary Russian energy vector active in the region.

The UK Royal Navy was tracking the Sovcomflot tanker 'Anatoly Kolodkin', loaded with 730,000 barrels of Russian crude at Primorsky at the beginning of the month, on March 19 and dispatched the Portsmouth-based HMS 'Mersey' along with a Wildcat helicopter to track the tanker’s transit through the English Channel. The warship completed a 48-hour monitoring effort as the tanker left the Channel and headed into the Atlantic. The tanker was accompanied through the Channel by the Russian Steregushchiy-class frigate RFN 'Soobrazitelny'. The frigate, however, turned back eastwards, since. The 'Anatoly Kolodkin' was under U.S., UK, and EU sanctions. It was believe the ship was heading for Matanzas. The Commander of theSouthern Command, Marine General Francis Donovan, confirmed on March 19 that the U.S. was also tracking the tanker.

The 'Anatoly Kolodkin', which sailed from the Russian port Primorsk on March 8, 2026, was detected off Ouessant on Marh 18. The sanctioned tanker was being escorted by the frigate 'Soobrazitelniy'. The vessel was carrying more than 700,000 barrelsof Russian crude . The destination was Cuba to ease the acute energy shortages with an expected arrival at Matanzas at the end of March. The arrival of the shipment would mark the first major fuel delivery to the island in three months, after the Trump administration imposed a naval blockade in the Caribbean and threatened tariffs on countries that supply oil to Cuba, which led Mexico to suspend its shipments in February and marking the longest period without supplies in at least 12 years. The Russian shipment, however, will not provide immediate relief. The Ural crude needs to be refined before use, a process that can take between 20 and 30 days. Despite this, the 730,000 barrels represented a crucial lifeline for an island that depends on fuel to keep hospitals, transportation, and essential services running. Meanwhile, the 'Sea Horse', which was also carrying Russian crude to Cuba, continued its voyage across the Atlantic after interrupting its journey in February due to the US embargo.

The UK government imposed sanctions on 30 vessels, among them the 'Anatoly Kolodkin', that are a part of the Russian Shadow Fleet for performing illicit oil transport operations on Nov 25. In addition, two Russian insurance companies have also been targeted for their role as facilitators. The aim of the sanctions is to hinder Russia from continuing its offensive in Ukraine by hamstringing Russian oil revenues. The tankers have transported more than $4.3 billion of oil and its derivatives in the last year alone. With this sanctions package, the total number of vessels in the Russian shadow fleet sanctioned by the UK has risen to 73, the highest of any nation in the world. Along with the sanctions, the UK government also exhorted other countries to follow its call to action and act against the shadow fleet. So far, 46 countries have joined this initiative. The vessels that operate in the shadow fleet engage in deceptive practices and are poorly maintained, leading to a hazard on the open seas and increasing the danger for all other vessels. Therefore, cracking down on the vessels and the companies that insure them would also clear shipping lanes of unsafe traffic. The Russian insurance companies Alfastrakhovanie PLC and VSK have been sanctioned. This will prohibit any cooperation with these insurers and effectively cut them off from the international markets. The tankers that have been placed in sanctions will be banned from entering UK ports. The UK authorities have reserved the right to direct the movements of these vessels and detain them if needed. These vessels will not be registered on the UK Ship Register, and existing registrations of these vessels will be terminated. In addition to this, these vessels will not be able to benefit from price cap exemptions even if they were involved in transactions that qualify for the Oil Price Cap Exception.

The USA have pinned 14 of Sovcomflot's tankers, the 'Anatoly Kolodkin' NS Antarctic', 'NS Lion', 'Ns Consul', 'Ns Burgas', Ns Captain' 'NS Columbus', 'Sakhalin Island', 'Nevskiy Prospect', 'Georgy Maslov', 'Liteyny Prospect', 'Krymsk' 'Ns Creation' and 'Ns Bravo', giving the Russian shipping company 45 days to unload oil and other cargo. The company is being prosecuted for violating the crude price cap in force since December 2022. This battalion of clandestine ships, owned by companies with opaque ownership to conceal illicit operations, has been in the crosshairs of the Western coalition for many months with widely documented practices such as STS oil transfer operations and deactivation of AIS, with the fleet constantly expanding. The Office of Foreign Asset Control of the Treasury (OFAC) has designated the 14 tankers in which Sovcomflot has an interest, and in particular 12 of the 75 vessels operated by the Oil Tankers SCF Management FZCO, a company which had to inherit part of of the SCF fleet when the latter was forced to sell or disperse to companies abroad following international sanctions. The first inclusion of SCF on the international sanctions list (United Kingdom, European Union, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, etc.) dates back to 2022 and concerned financial transactions involving long-term debt or new shares. The company has 45 days to unload oil and other cargo, but OFAC has not banned transactions for its other tankers and has even made it clear to oil traders that they can continue to use the large majority of the Russian carrier's fleet without repercussions, which claims 147 ships. Capping the price of oil, which consists of applying a discount per barrel of crude compared to the market price but without harming the stability of international markets, aims to limit the resources that Russia earns from the sale of hydrocarbons. Russia sold its oil in January at a discount of $19 per barrel compared to Brent (international benchmark) compared to $12 to $13 per barrel in October. With a barrel at this price, Russia therefore received 75% of the oil revenue it should have received, or 25% less. At the same time, Russian military spending has increased by 60%, leading many observers to say that the system is ineffective, due to a lack of monitoring and control means. 196 tankers, identified as belonging to the clandestine fleet, had left Russian ports in December 2023. Five new shipping companies based in the United Arab Emirates have started to transport Russian crude since November 2023. The US Treasury has sanctioned 27 oil companies for violating the price cap since October, when the cap was implemented.