US Coast Guard intercepts ship transporting fuel to Cuba

WASHINGTON, Oct 3: The US Coast Guard said Friday it had intercepted a ship transporting oil to Cuba in violation of a US oil blockade imposed in January.

"In early September, a Coast Guard tactical team boarded M/V Grace in the Caribbean Sea" as it was "transiting to Cuba, carrying fuel," a Coast Guard statement said.

The vessel "was believed to be employing tactics common amongst the 'dark fleet,'" the statement said.
The term describes ships that transport sanctioned or high-risk commodities while concealing their origin, ownership and destination, per the International Maritime Rescue Federation.

The Grace was then escorted to the port of Progreso, in eastern Mexico, where the Mexican navy "confirmed the presence of large quantities of fuel in the vessel's ballast tanks," the Coast Guard statement said.�"AFP