The Mexican Navy activated search-and-rescue operations in the Caribbean on Thursday to locate two sailboats carrying humanitarian aid to crisis-hit Cuba. The vessels departed Isla Mujeres in Quintana Roo last week bound for Havana but failed to arrive on March 24 and March 25 as scheduled. Nine people of different nationalities were aboard.
In a statement the Navy urged seafarers and maritime authorities in the region to report any sightings and said it was using an aircraft to search the route between Isla Mujeres and Havana. It also alerted maritime rescue coordination centers in several countries, including Poland, France, Cuba and the United States, and contacted diplomatic representatives for the missing individuals’ countries of origin, which have not been disclosed.
The boats were part of the “Nuestra America Convoy,” a non-government initiative organized by volunteers in Mexico to deliver essentials such as rice, beans, baby formula, wipes and medicine to Cuba amid a severe energy and economic crisis attributed to a tightened US embargo. The article notes the Trump administration tightened its blockade in January following the capture and deposing of Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro. One separate vessel from the convoy reached Havana on Tuesday.
A convoy spokesperson told Reuters that the captains and crews are experienced sailors and the vessels are equipped with appropriate safety systems and signalling equipment. “We are cooperating fully with the authorities and remain confident in the crews’ ability to reach Havana safely,” the statement said.
Edited by: Rana Taha