The Mexican navy said on Thursday it had launched a search and rescue operation in the Caribbean to find two sailing vessels carrying humanitarian aid to Cuba after the ships failed to arrive in Havana on the scheduled date.
Mexico's navy said the two boats left Isla Mujeres, in the Mexican Caribbean state of Quintana Roo, bound for Havana last week, with nine crew members of various nationalities on board.
The ships were supposed to arrive between March 24 and 25, but no communication has been received from them and no confirmation of their arrival has been received, the navy said.
The two missing boats are part of a larger effort to help Cuba, which is struggling with an energy crisis, prolonged blackouts and a deepening economic crisis after the US tightened its embargo on oil and other goods. Another ship in the convoy arrived in Havana on Tuesday.
Last week, volunteers from Mexico loaded the boats with rice, baby wipes, beans, powdered milk, medicine and other supplies as part of the “Nuestra America” Convoy, a non-governmental initiative that aims to deliver food, medicine and energy-related goods to the island.
“The captains and crews are experienced seamen and both vessels are equipped with adequate safety systems and signaling equipment,” a convoy spokesman told Reuters. “We are cooperating fully with the authorities and remain confident in the ability of the crews to reach Havana safely,” he added.
Mexico has also established contacts with maritime rescue coordination centers in Poland, France, Cuba and the United States, as well as diplomatic representatives of the home countries of those on board, the navy said.
