Matanzas
Western Cuban province, one of 8 provinces with acute 2026 humanitarian needs
Last refreshed: 15 April 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
How did the 2022 Matanzas oil depot fire worsen Cuba's current energy crisis?
Timeline for Matanzas
- What happened in Matanzas Cuba in 2022?
- In September 2022 a lightning strike ignited Cuba's Supertanker Base in Matanzas, destroying more than a million barrels of oil in a fire that burned for five days and killed at least 16 firefighters.Source: Cuban government and international press record
- Where is Matanzas in Cuba?
- Matanzas is a northern Cuban province about 100 km east of Havana, home to Varadero beach resort and roughly one million residents.Source: Geographic record
Background
Matanzas province, on Cuba's northern coast approximately 100 kilometres east of Havana, was among the eight provinces identified by the UN Resident Coordinator in April 2026 as having acute and persistent humanitarian needs. The province was part of the 2 million-person population targeted for assistance, with significant numbers dependent on water trucking. Matanzas was also badly affected by the September 2022 explosion and fire at the Supertanker Base, one of Cuba's largest fuel storage facilities, which destroyed more than a million barrels of oil.
Matanzas is Cuba's third most populous province with approximately one million residents. It is an industrial and agricultural hub, home to the Varadero tourism zone (Cuba's largest resort), the Matanzas Bay industrial port, and the Hershey Electric Railway. The Supertanker Base fire in 2022, which burned for five days and killed at least 16 firefighters, dealt a severe blow to Cuba's already fragile Energy infrastructure.
The province's vulnerability in 2026 reflects the compounding of pre-existing infrastructure damage from the 2022 fire, ongoing fuel shortages under EO 14380, and the deterioration of water and medical systems that the UN assessment quantified.