🔗 Share this article Two Cuba-Headed Humanitarian Ships Reported Missing after Setting Sail from Mexico. Both vessels Friendship and Tigger Moth left Isla Mujeres, Mexico on March 20th. A extensive search and recovery effort is currently in progress in the Caribbean region for a duo of unlocated sailing vessels carrying aid cargo en route from the Mexican coast to Cuba. Military Search and Rescue Missions Launched Mexico has sent naval assets and reconnaissance aircraft to search for the two vessels, which were carrying at least nine crew members, as stated by a official statement. The ships had been projected to make landfall in Havana on the early part of the week, but there has been radio silence from them and no official word of their safe arrival, authorities reported. The Situation of Humanitarian Support to the Nation Cuba has relied heavily on humanitarian shipments from Mexico over recent weeks, as the nation grapples with widespread nationwide blackouts. "The captains and crews are veteran seafarers, and both vessels are equipped with suitable navigational gear and communication devices," an official associated with the mission said. The nine-person crew are from Poland, France, Cuba and the US. Mexican authorities said it has opened communications with rescue coordination centers from those nations along with their diplomatic representatives. "We are collaborating completely with the authorities and continue to be hopeful in the capability of the sailors to safely arrive in Havana," the official further stated. Previous Humanitarian Shipment Previously that week, the Cuban government widely celebrated and officially received another boat that had transported 14 tons of humanitarian aid to the country. That ship, nicknamed "a new Granma" in reference to the yacht in which Castro landed in Cuba to begin the Cuban Revolution in the 1950s, delivered solar equipment, drugs, baby formula, cycles and provisions. Broader International Climate Volunteers and NGOs have been at the forefront of efforts to bring critical assistance to Cuba starting at the turn of the year, coinciding with the time a fuel embargo on the country was initiated. International organizations have since warned of "dire" lack of essential goods, with over fifty thousand surgeries cancelled in Cuba amid power shortages. Foreign policy measures have been ramped up lately, with remarks from various officials highlighting the complex nature of diplomatic ties. Responding to previous proposals, a senior Cuban official declared that "the political system of Cuba is non-negotiable." Accounts suggest that preliminary steps of talks had begun, although their ongoing development remains uncertain. The Mexican navy stated it was committed to using all of the resources at its disposal to find the sailboats and ensure the well-being of the crews. At this time, there has been no official comment on the missing boats by the Cuban leadership.
Both vessels Friendship and Tigger Moth left Isla Mujeres, Mexico on March 20th. A extensive search and recovery effort is currently in progress in the Caribbean region for a duo of unlocated sailing vessels carrying aid cargo en route from the Mexican coast to Cuba. Military Search and Rescue Missions Launched Mexico has sent naval assets and reconnaissance aircraft to search for the two vessels, which were carrying at least nine crew members, as stated by a official statement. The ships had been projected to make landfall in Havana on the early part of the week, but there has been radio silence from them and no official word of their safe arrival, authorities reported. The Situation of Humanitarian Support to the Nation Cuba has relied heavily on humanitarian shipments from Mexico over recent weeks, as the nation grapples with widespread nationwide blackouts. "The captains and crews are veteran seafarers, and both vessels are equipped with suitable navigational gear and communication devices," an official associated with the mission said. The nine-person crew are from Poland, France, Cuba and the US. Mexican authorities said it has opened communications with rescue coordination centers from those nations along with their diplomatic representatives. "We are collaborating completely with the authorities and continue to be hopeful in the capability of the sailors to safely arrive in Havana," the official further stated. Previous Humanitarian Shipment Previously that week, the Cuban government widely celebrated and officially received another boat that had transported 14 tons of humanitarian aid to the country. That ship, nicknamed "a new Granma" in reference to the yacht in which Castro landed in Cuba to begin the Cuban Revolution in the 1950s, delivered solar equipment, drugs, baby formula, cycles and provisions. Broader International Climate Volunteers and NGOs have been at the forefront of efforts to bring critical assistance to Cuba starting at the turn of the year, coinciding with the time a fuel embargo on the country was initiated. International organizations have since warned of "dire" lack of essential goods, with over fifty thousand surgeries cancelled in Cuba amid power shortages. Foreign policy measures have been ramped up lately, with remarks from various officials highlighting the complex nature of diplomatic ties. Responding to previous proposals, a senior Cuban official declared that "the political system of Cuba is non-negotiable." Accounts suggest that preliminary steps of talks had begun, although their ongoing development remains uncertain. The Mexican navy stated it was committed to using all of the resources at its disposal to find the sailboats and ensure the well-being of the crews. At this time, there has been no official comment on the missing boats by the Cuban leadership.