Expert Jorge Piñón questions the MCCI data on exports of crude oil and derivatives worth 3 billion dollars between May and August 2025
14ymedio, Havana, October 17, 2025 — Mexico has a fuel deficit, not a surplus, as stated by the president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, to justify the export of diesel to Cuba, say experts in the energy sector speaking to 14ymedio. The alleged “surplus” is due to the fact that Mexico imports diesel and gasoline from the US, being its largest buyer of refined fuels, according to official data published by the US Energy Information Administration.
“Thanks to these imports from the US, Mexico can afford to export diesel to Cuba,” explains Jorge Piñón, a researcher at the University of Texas in Austin. Mexico is not supposed to send US fuel to the Island; it must send fuel produced by its own refineries. According to information published in the specialized press, Mexico imported 61% of its gasoline, diesel and jet fuel from the US, about 787,000 barrels per day in 2024.
“A part of Mexico’s imports come from the Pemex refinery located in Texas City, one of the largest on the Gulf coast, with a daily production of 275,000 barrels,” says Piñón.
Both Mexico and Cuba refuse to publish data on the sale of hydrocarbons
Questioned about this on Thursday in her usual morning conference, the Mexican president confirmed that her country is exporting oil to Cuba, although without specifying how much or for what price. “Yes, it is buying fuel, as other countries buy. Now there is a particular surplus of diesel and it is being exported,” she replied to a journalist who asked how much oil is being provided to the Island, in exchange for what, and how it is delivered.
Tanto México como Cuba se niegan a publicar los datos sobre la compraventa de hidrocarburos e intentan mantener el secreto sobre los movimientos de tanqueros desde los puertos de Coatzacoalcos-Pajaritos (Veracruz) y Tampico (Tamaulipas) hacia la Isla. Esta opacidad ha llevado a una organización de la sociedad civil, Mexicanos Contra la Corrupción y la Impunidad(MCCI), a investigar ese comercio.
Both Mexico and Cuba refuse to publish data on the sale of hydrocarbons and try to keep secret the movements of tankers from the ports of Coatzacoalcos-Pajaritos (Veracruz) and Tampico (Tamaulipas) to the Island. This opacity has led a civil society organization, Mexicanos Contra la Corrupción y la Impunidad (MCCI), to investigate this trade.
In a report published on October 13, the MCCI gave shocking figures: “The value of hydrocarbons sent by Mexico to Cuba between May and August 2025 exceeds three billion dollars, equivalent to about 60 billion pesos, according to records on foreign trade platforms consulted by the MCCI.” It also stated that Mexican customs had recorded 58 shipments of hydrocarbons to Cuba in those same months.
“Cuba does not have enough storage capacity for these barrels reported by the MCCI”
Piñón believes that “the MCCI has misinterpreted Mexican Customs data and that, on the contrary, Pemex is having problems with light crude oil production.” This has resulted in a substantial decline in their oil exports in 2025. “I understand that Mexico is not currently shipping oil to Cuba. According to Vessel Finder, this Friday, the Cuba-flagged tankers used on the Pajaritos/Tampico-Cienfuegos route are in Cuban ports: the Lourdes in Nipe, the Alicia in Matanzas, the Delsa in Cienfuegos, the Vilma in Santiago and the Petion in Cienfuegos.”
The expert explains that “Cuba does not have the storage capacity for these barrels reported by the MCCI. It should be remembered that Cuba lost one million barrels of storage capacity with the Matanzas fire in August 2022. In addition, floating storage systems with coastal tankers are now being used to store the domestic oil that accumulates in non-operational thermal power plants.”
Translated by Regina Anavy
____________
COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.
