U.S. fuel exports to Cuba reached US$74,863,132 in August 2026, despite the U.S. embargo, which remained in force while Washington retained the power to license shipments and seize cargo. Fuel made up about 37% of the US$202.5 million in U.S. goods exports to Cuba that month, the highest monthly goods total in Census Bureau records dating to 1992. The trade figures record goods moving between the countries. They don't identify who sold the fuel or who received it.
The US-Cuba Trade and Economic Council, a New York-based organization that compiles official U.S. trade data on Cuba, released the product and port breakdown on Thursday 8 October. Its table doesn't name exporters or buyers, leaving the public without a clear account of which companies made the sales or where the fuel ultimately went.
The License Gate
Diesel-type light fuel oil with very low sulphur content led August sales at about US$34.5 million. Unleaded gasoline accounted for about US$24.4 million, and other petroleum oils for about US$12.7 million. Smaller shipments included about US$1.3 million in liquefied propane, as well as lubricating oils, greases and medicinal-grade white mineral oil.
The Miami customs district handled about US$49.6 million, or two-thirds of the month's fuel total. Houston-Galveston shipped about US$19.1 million, New Orleans about US$5.5 million and Tampa about US$0.7 million. The figures show the ports. They don't show the companies behind the trade.
The U.S. embargo, in force since 1962, bans most trade with Cuba, but licenses and exceptions permit some exports. Diario de Cuba, an independent Cuban news site published from Madrid, said the exceptions are meant in theory for Cuba's private sector. Analyst Jorge Piñón of the University of Texas Energy Institute views Cupet, the Cuban state oil company, as the final receiver, the publication reported. The available trade data don't establish whether fuel went to private firms, Cupet or both.
From January through August, U.S. fuel exports totaled about US$231.7 million, while all U.S. goods exports reached US$876.5 million. That goods figure already exceeded the full-year 2025 total of US$809.6 million. Fuel accounted for about 26% of U.S. exports to Cuba across those first eight months. Imports from Cuba, by contrast, were about US$0.1 million in August.
Seizures and Supply Lines
Havana accuses Washington of using the licensing system to create economic dependence. Diario de Cuba also reported that oil shipments from Venezuela and Mexico stopped after a U.S. tariff threat in January, and that the United States has since become Cuba's main fuel supplier through private channels. The report doesn't identify those private suppliers or explain how shipments were paid for.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control, the U.S. Treasury unit that administers sanctions, blacklisted Havana fuel wholesaler ENETEC S.A. on 13 July 2026. On Wednesday 7 October, U.S. federal agents announced they had seized 90 Cuba-bound biodiesel shipments worth more than US$2.8 million, or about 615,000 gallons. The cargo, bound for ENETEC, sat at Port Everglades in Florida and the Port of Houston.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez protested the seizure on Thursday 8 October. Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío called the U.S. action piracy, Diario de Cuba reported. U.S. agencies haven't said whether the seizure will lead to criminal charges. The figures don't indicate a change in U.S. policy. The embargo remains in force.
Fuel Without Reliable Power
The shipments haven't ended power cuts in Cuba. The Antonio Guiteras power plant in Matanzas, which Diario de Cuba described as the country's main plant, broke down again on Friday 9 October. The publication reported that it was the plant's 23rd shutdown of 2026.
With the plant out of service, the peak-hour shortfall topped 2,000 megawatts, based on Diario de Cuba's count from state grid forecasts. The export totals don't say how much fuel reached the plant or any household, and the account provides no details about community-led distribution or mutual aid. The Census Bureau scheduled the release of September trade figures for Wednesday 4 November 2026.