PEMEX & Mexico’s Energy Ministry Remain Silent on All Crude Oil Shipments to Cuba

ByMexico Solidarity

This article by Alejandro Alegría originally appeared in the January 30, 2026 edition of La Jornada, Mexico’s premier left wing daily newspaper.

Neither the Ministry of Energy (Sener) nor Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) issued comments regarding the tariff measures that the United States will take against countries that sell oil to Cuba

After US President Donald Trump signed an executive order imposing tariffs on goods from nations that supply crude oil to the island, La Jornada requested a statement from both the company and the Ministry of Energy (Sener); however, the Ministry of Economy’s communications department indicated that there would be no comment, as the matter was not within its purview.

This comes just days after Bloomberg and Reuters reported that Mexico had suspended fuel shipments to Cuba, which are used for electricity generation. Granma reported energy shortages, despite the island having around 49 photovoltaic plants, which are insufficient to meet demand.

In recent days, President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo stated that the shipments to the island are for humanitarian reasons, which is not a new claim. She added that on other occasions, shipments are also made under existing contracts.

According to reports submitted by Pemex to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), since July 2023, its subsidiary Gasolinas Bienestar has been purchasing energy products from the company for sale to Cuba. Between January and September 2025, Gasolinas Bienestar exported 17,200 barrels per day of crude oil and 2,000 barrels per day of petroleum products, for a total of 7.9 billion pesos, equivalent to 400 million dollars.

Information released by the company indicates that these sales represented 3.3 percent of total crude oil exports and 1.8 percent of total petroleum product exports, respectively.