SEA HORSE
Die letzten Häfen
Die letzten Wegpunkte
Die neuesten Nachrichten
Tanker may no longer be heading to Cuba
The 'Sea Horse' appeared to have been intimidated not to approach Cuba. The vessel was believed to be carrying Russian diesel, and the suspicion was that it was bound for Cuba. It stopped in the mid-Atlantic, and its AIS now showed Puerto Cabello as destinationwithn ETA as of March24. The product tanker has made a sharp turn to the south and was heading to Trinidad. In the past, the 'Sea Horse' has been using various deception methods. It turned off its AIS and at another point listed itself as “not under command.” If it were going to Cuba, it would be days away, but the suspicion was that it stopped to find a new buyer for its cargo.
Tanker resumed voyage after drifting three weeks
After drifting for three weeks with the status NUC, the 'Sea Horse' has resumed sailing toward the Caribbean again on March 17 at around 8 p.m. UTC. The tanker was carrying 200K barrels of Russian oil to Cuba. On the morning of March 18 it was underway with a speed of nine knots (Lat. 27.5189 Lng. -59.5507).
Tanker NUC and adrift in North Pacific
On Feb 25, the 'Sea Horse', carrying 200,000 barrels of diesel to Cuba, has entered the Old Bahama Channel, the most dangerous area because it is narrow, heavily patrolled, and part of the de facto exclusion zone imposed by the USA. Upon entering the Old Bahama Channel, the vessel was within range of U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft operating from bases in Jacksonville and Key West. The vessel has entered "dark sailing." Although its last reported AIS signal was less than 24 hours ago, the update frequency has dropped drastically. It is located approximately 300 nautical miles northeast of Cuba's eastern coast. The 'Sea Horse' stopped its voyage and was currently adrift in the North Atlantic. As of March 2, the status was NUC in pos. 30° 29' N 053° 55' W. As of March 3, the tanker has diverted from its direct path to Cuba. After idling as "Not Under Command" in the Atlantic, the vessel was now moving away from the island as the USS"Southern Spear" blockade intensified. With the ship still at full draught, 200k barrels of vital diesel remained undelivered. Despite rumors, Russian officials have denied active naval escort for this specific transit. Before, there were reports of Coast Guard movements in the Bahamas area to visually identify the vessel, given that its AIS was being manipulated or intermittently turned off. Havana is maintaining complete administrative silence regarding the ship so as not to give away its docking point (Matanzas remains the most likely destination due to its rapid unloading infrastructure). The critical period was from Feb 27 to March 1. If the vessel managed to cross the Bahamas Strait without being boarded, it will enter Cuban territorial waters, where the U.S. could no longer legally intervene without a direct violation of sovereignty. The window of March 2-4 remained the likely time of arrival. The denial of a Russian escort by the Embassy in Havana on Feb 23 left the 'Sea Horse' alone on its voyage. There were no Russian warships protecting it at this time. The US Navy ships in the area were including the USS 'Stockdale'. The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer has been tracking the 'Sea Horse' since it left the vicinity of Venezuela and was now in the Caribbean Basin/Bahamas area. It has already physically blocked the passage of tankers in previous weeks. The USS 'Truxtun' was recently reported in the area after arriving from Norfolk. The USS 'Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78)', although a large aircraft carrier, has deployed its carrier strike group to the Caribbean region to provide radar coverage and mass air surveillance using E-2D Hawkeye aircraft. The USS 'San Antonio' and the USS 'Fort Lauderdale' are amphibious transport ships serving as mobile platforms for boarding operations and tactical response teams. Coast Guard cutters are responsible for conducting boarding operations in international waters under the 2026 Emergency Order. The USCGC 'Stone', the most advanced Coast Guard cutter in the fleet, has been seen specifically patrolling the Windward Passage (between Cuba and Haiti) to close the southern route to Santiago de Cuba and Matanzas.
News schreiben