US sanctions Cuban oil shipping network, state firms and two China-based suppliers

On 5 November 2026, the US Department of State designated eight entities and two individuals, and identified five vessels as blocked property, under Executive Order (E.O.) 14404. The State Department said E.O. 14404 authorizes sanctions on foreign persons linked to repression in Cuba and to other threats to US national security and foreign policy. According to the State Department, the action targets the Cuban regime's oil shipping networks, Cuban elites, state-owned import and technical-support entities, and China-based suppliers of the regime's military forces.

Four companies were designated for operating in the energy sector of the Cuban economy. The State Department describes Caroil Transport Marine Ltd as a Cyprus-based company that manages Cuban-flagged crude oil tankers, Tentacool Commercial Inc (Panama) as the registered owner of the tanker Gloria C, Internacional Maritima SA (Cuba) as the registered owner of the tanker Esperanza, and Petroleos Maritimos del Caribe S.A. (Petromarca) as the manager and operator of two Cuban-flagged petroleum product tankers. Five vessels in which Caroil or Petromarca has an interest were identified as blocked property: Esperanza (IMO 9289166), Gloria C (IMO 9540273), Maria Cristina (IMO 9502453), Emilia (IMO 9242209) and Lourdes (IMO 9259692). Guillermo Faustino Rodriguez Lopez Calleja was also designated for operating in the energy sector; the State Department says he is part of an extensive network of maritime shipping companies moving petroleum products to and from Cuba. The State Department said the regime relies on a web of offshore intermediaries.

Any Rodriguez Lastres was designated as an adult family member of Ania Guillermina Lastres Morera, a person already blocked under the order. The State Department says Rodriguez Lastres previously served as Commercial Director of the US-designated Terminal De Contenedores De Mariel S.A. Two Cuban state-owned entities were designated for being owned, controlled or directed by, or acting for, the Government of Cuba: Cubaelectronica, which the State Department describes as an importer of supplies and equipment for Cuba's electronics industry, and Tecnosime, which the State Department says generates revenue for the Cuban state. Two China-based companies were designated for materially assisting or supporting the Government of Cuba: China National Electronic Import and Export Company (CEIEC), which the State Department describes as a state-owned enterprise that exports defense electronics, security systems and construction engineering services, and Beijing H&C Technologies Co., Ltd, which it describes as a seller of surveillance and security equipment.

The State Department said that the Director of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) also issued a determination under E.O. 14404 that authorizes sanctions on any foreign person operating in the manufacturing, technology, electronics and marine sectors of the Cuban economy. All property of the designated persons in the United States or in the possession or control of US persons is blocked and must be reported to OFAC, and entities owned 50 percent or more by blocked persons are also blocked. The State Department said non-US persons, including foreign financial institutions, should proceed with caution in any dealings with parties sanctioned under this authority. It said the United States continues to authorize humanitarian trade, including food, medicine and medical devices.