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U.S. State Department Expands Sanctions on Cuban Shipping

Maritime-Executive • November 6, 2026

The Trump administration has sanctioned five ships and two people for allegedly serving Cuba's oil shipping network, and has rolled out broad sectoral sanctions covering Cuba's maritime industry as a whole.

Three of the vessels are tankers linked to Caroil Transport Marine, a Cypriot company that has been sanctioned by the U.S. since 2019. (The State Department re-sanctioned the firm for a second time on Thursday.) These ships include the Esperanza (IMO 9289166), Gloria C (IMO 9540273) and Maria Cristina (dIMO 9502453), all smaller vessels.

The remaining two vessels on the list - the LPG carrier Emilia (IMO 9242209) and the crude oil tanker Lourdes (IMO 9259692) - belong to Petroleos Maritimos Del Caribe S.A., a Cuban petroleum shipping company also known as Petromarca.

Newly-listed Cuban individuals include the ruling family member Guillermo Faustino Rodriguez Lopez Calleja, allegedly part of "an extensive network of maritime shipping companies moving petroleum products to and from Cuba." Lopez Calleja is better known as the uncle of "El Cangrejo" - Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, a high-ranking state security official and a descendent of Raúl Castro.

Also listed is a former commercial director of the sanctioned port operator Terminal de Contenedores de Mariel SA, Any Rodriguez Lastres, a member of a prominent governing family.

In parallel with the State Department's announcement, the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control also announced new blanket sanctions on broad areas of the Cuban economy, including the electronics, manufacturing, marine, and technology sectors. The finding takes effect immediately, and could have more overall impact than sanctions on individual operators. OFAC suggested that any foreign person engaging in these entire sectors of the Cuban economy "shall be subject to sanctions."

Top image courtesy VesselFinder .

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This article is one source in a clustered incident — the cluster page carries the summary, timeline and every other outlet covering it.

US Expands Sanctions on Cuban Oil Shipping Network On November 6, 2026, the U.S. State Department announced expanded sanctions against Cuba's oil shipping network, targeting five tankers and two individuals linked to the regime. The sanctioned vessels include Esperanza, Gloria C, Maria Cristina, Emilia, and Lourdes, with connections to companies in Cyprus and Cuba. This action builds on previous sanctions against Caroil Transport Marine, which has been under U.S. restrictions since 2019. The sanctions also encompass eight companies involved in managing these vessels and extend to broader sectors of the Cuban economy, including manufacturing and technology. The U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control warned that foreign entities engaging with these sectors could face sanctions. The measures are designed to undermine the Cuban government's revenue and military support networks. Humanitarian trade, including food and medicine, remains exempt from these restrictions. 3 sources 34

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U.S. State Department Expands Sanctions on Cuban Shipping

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