Mexico navy searches for vessels transporting aid to cuba

The Mexican Navy has launched a search operation for two boats carrying humanitarian aid to Cuba, with crew members of various nationalities on board. The vessels departed from Isla Mujeres in Quintana Roo state on March 20 and were expected to arrive in Havana by Tuesday or Wednesday this week, according to a navy statement. However, there has been neither confirmation of their arrival nor communication with the Cuban authorities.

Navy appeals for information on missing aid ships

The search efforts involve aircraft scouring the route between Isla Mujeres and Havana, while naval commanders in the region and rescue stations have been alerted. The Mexican Navy has also maintained communication with agencies in Poland, France, the United States and Cuba, as well as the diplomatic missions of the crew's home countries, to facilitate real-time cooperation and information exchange.

A spokesperson for Nuestra America Convoy, a global coalition organizing aid shipments to Cuba, assured that both vessels were manned by experienced sailors and equipped with necessary safety systems and signaling gear. Despite the disappearance, there has been no distress signal received.

Since last week, activists from several countries have embarked on vessels carrying food and supplies to the Communist-led island, which faces a humanitarian crisis due to a U.S.-imposed fuel embargo. President Trump's de facto oil blockade on Cuba was implemented in January following the U.S. ouster of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, whose government had been the primary source of Cuba's fuel supplies.