Sanctions Leave Medical Supplies For Cuba Stuck in Jamaica

U.S. sanctions have caused a container with 3.5 million syringes and needles bound for Santiago de Cuba’s health system to be stranded in Jamaica, according to Cuban state media outlet Cubadebate.

The container, which Cubadebate said was from a solidarity organization called SODePAZ was reportedly one of dozens stranded in Kingport, Jamaica after French shipping company CMA CGM was threatened with U.S. sanctions.

In May, the company said it would suspend bookings to and from Cuba following the Trump administration’s May 1 executive order, which threatened “secondary sanctions” on non-U.S. companies doing business with an ever-growing list of sanctioned Cuban entities.

It’s not clear if the containers were shipped before the executive order or how long they have been stranded in Jamaica.

According to Cubadebate, CMA CGM says its only options now are returning the containers to their port of origin or transferring the cargo to another shipping line, both of which would mean additional costs for the solidarity organization.

In addition to CMA CGM, German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd also suspended bookings to Cuba, citing compliance risks tied to the May 1 executive order.