Washington, March 22 (RHC)-- A U.S. federal judge accused four cruise companies of violating the blockade of Cuba, codified in the Helms-Burton Act, by using the port of Havana as a destination, U.S. media outlets reported on Tuesday.

Magistrate Beth Bloom of the city of Miami considered that the companies Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line, and MSC Cruises participated in "prohibited tourism activities" and "trafficking" by transporting passengers to the island, the Sun-Sentinel newspaper reported.

According to the cited judicial text, these tourism corporations benefited between 2015 and 2019 from the use of the Cuban capital's port facilities, nationalized after the triumph of the 1959 Revolution.

This decision would mean a change in the position of Judge Bloom herself, who in January 2020 issued an order in which she dismissed a similar claim by the Havana Docks Corporation, which now claims rights over the Havana cruise terminal.

Havana Docks says it owned the facility and therefore believes that its use by U.S. companies violates Title III of the Helms-Burton Act, which was activated by former President Donald Trump in 2019.

For their part, the defendants argue that their trips to the Caribbean nation were covered by the guidelines established by the Treasury Department during the administration of Barack Obama.

The case will continue from May of this year in a trial that should determine whether financial compensation to the plaintiffs is necessary.

On April 2, 2019, legal proceedings were initiated under the Helms-Burton Act, and as of July 31, 2021, 39 lawsuits had been filed, of which five were withdrawn, and 34 remained ongoing.

That policy has affected the U.S. and third-country entities that did or do business with Cuba and domestic companies, which are currently working to revive tourism in Cuba, hard hit by Covid-19 since 2020.

The Helms-Burton Act, passed by the U.S. Congress in 1996, codifies the economic, commercial, and financial blockade imposed by Washington against Cuba almost 60 years ago.

Its Title III, which the Trump administration activated, allows U.S. citizens to file claims against individuals and entities, even from third countries, that invest in properties nationalized in Cuba after the triumph of the Revolution.