The Mexican Navy launched a search-and-rescue operation Thursday for two sailboats carrying humanitarian aid to Cuba that vanished in the Caribbean after departing Isla Mujeres six days earlier. The Friendship and Tigger Moth, with nine multinational crew members aboard, were expected to reach Havana between March 24 and 25 but failed to arrive or make contact.
The vessels are part of the Nuestra America Convoy, a grassroots initiative delivering food, medicine, and energy-related supplies to Cuba amid a worsening humanitarian emergency. The disappearance underscores the precariousness of aid efforts reaching the island as Cuba faces severe shortages exacerbated by a U.S. oil embargo that has cut off petroleum supplies and collapsed power infrastructure.
Search efforts intensify
Mexican naval aircraft are conducting search operations across the vessels' projected route between Quintana Roo and Cuba. Authorities have appealed to mariners and maritime officials for information about the missing boats, which departed on March 20 carrying crew members from Poland, France, Cuba, and the United States. Neither vessel has transmitted distress signals or made communication since their departure.
A spokesperson for the Nuestra America Convoy stated that both captains and crews are experienced mariners and the vessels are equipped with standard safety systems. The convoy expressed confidence in their safe arrival while confirming full cooperation with Mexican search authorities.
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Aid efforts continue despite risks
The Nuestra America Convoy has successfully delivered multiple shipments to Cuba in recent months as the island experiences cascading infrastructure failures. Power generation systems built with Soviet-era technology now operate without adequate maintenance or fuel, producing nationwide blackouts that have occurred three times in recent weeks.
The Cuban government has not issued official comment on the missing vessels, though officials recently acknowledged the arrival of another aid ship from the same convoy. The search operation continues as families of the nine crew members await news.
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