Cuba’s government said on Wednesday that more than 7,000 containers carrying food, energy, hydraulic resources, and medicines remain held at various Caribbean ports because of U.S. sanctions against the island.
The containers hold merchandise lawfully purchased by Cuba under international trade rules, according to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment Oscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga, speaking before the current session of the National Assembly of People’s Power.
He referred to the U.S. economic blockade as an “energy siege” and described the impact on the entire Cuban population as “collective punishment,” noting that new pressure measures have been applied since the start of the year. Perez-Oliva further held responsible “those who try to prevent the arrival of this merchandise, those who remain impassive allowing this genocide to be committed, and those who bow to the interests of the U.S.”
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Beyond food, the stalled shipments include resources for the island’s drinking water programme, where more than three million Cubans wake up daily with difficulties accessing that resource.
Estados Unidos impide que lleguen a #Cuba
más de 7 mil contendores con mercancía lícitamente adquirida, entre ellos alimentos, medicamentos y piezas para mejorar el sistema eléctrico nacional.
Lo denunció @polivaoscar , vice primer ministro de Cuba en la @AsambleaCuba pic.twitter.com/euuRZC4Rt7
— Cancillería de Cuba (@CubaMINREX) July 29, 2026
On the other hand, last week, state-owned Medicuba denounced the immobilisation of two containers carrying epilepsy medication at the Colombian port of Cartagena de Indias, after German shipping line Hapag-Lloyd refused to deliver the freight, citing compliance with the U.S. blockade. Previously, French shipping company CMA CGM had detained dozens of containers bound for Cuba in Jamaica, among them one with medical supplies.
Those incidents are linked to Executive Order 14404, signed on 1 May by U.S. President Donald Trump, which threatens to freeze assets in U.S. territory of individuals or entities that work or have worked for the Cuban government, as well as those who have provided financial, material, or technological support to it.
Shortly after the order, the two European shipping lines that maintained operations with Cuba stopped accepting new orders linked to the island, according to the information provided.
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