Mexico Searches For Missing Boats Ferrying Aid To Cuba

The vessel Maguro — symbolically renamed “Granma 2.0” as a tribute to the yacht used by Fidel Castro’s guerrilla fighters to launch their revolution in 1956 — arrives from Mexico with humanitarian aid as part of the Nuestra America convoy, docks at the port of Havana on March 24, 2026. (Photo by ADALBERTO ROQUE / AFP) The Mexican Navy was searching on Friday for two sailboats that went missing while transporting humanitarian aid to crisis-hit Cuba, a week after leaving Mexico. Advertisement googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1672569656851-0"); }); Brazilian activist Thiago Avila holds a Cuban flag on board the vessel Maguro — symbolically renamed “Granma 2.0” as a tribute to the yacht used by Fidel Castro’s guerrilla fighters to launch their revolution in 1956 — as it arrives from Mexico with humanitarian aid as part of the Nuestra America convoy, docking at the port of Havana on March 24, 2026. (Photo by YURI CORTEZ / AFP)     The vessels set sail last Friday from Isla Mujeres in Mexico’s southeastern state of Quintana Roo, with nine crew of different nationalities on board, Mexico’s navy said Thursday in a statement. But communication with the crew was lost, it added. Advertisement googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1672569913499-0"); }); “We express our deep concern for the two Mexican vessels transporting humanitarian aid to Cuba as part of the Our America Convoy,” Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said on social media platform X. “From our country, we are doing everything possible in the search and rescue of these brothers in arms,” Diaz-Canel said. READ ALSO: Cuba Restores Power Grid After Latest Blackout The international convoy has brought 50 tonnes of medical supplies, food, solar panels and other goods to support Cuba as the US fuel blockade has deepened the communist-ruled island’s energy and economic crisis. Advertisement googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1672587799169-0"); }); Aid brought by the Nuestra America flotilla from Mexico is unloaded at the William Soler Pediatric Cardiocenter in Havana on March 24, 2026. (Photo by Lisandra COTS / AFP)   The first shipments arrived by plane from Europe and the United States last week. A fishing boat that was converted into an aid vessel, which had also left Mexico last Friday, arrived on Tuesday, a few days later than planned due to unfavourable weather, currents and battery issues. It had been escorted by a Mexican navy ship part of the way. But the two sailboats have yet to reach Cuba. Advertisement googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1672587060870-0"); }); “Mexican authorities have activated their search and rescue protocol for two sailboats en route to Havana as part of the convoy, which have not yet arrived,” a spokesperson for the convoy told AFP. “The captains and crews are experienced sailors, and both vessels are equipped with appropriate safety systems and signalling equipment,” the spokesperson said. While the convoy appealed for information on sightings of the vessels, it said it remains “confident in the crews’ ability to reach Havana safely”. “Based on the speed of the vessels reported to the Cuban maritime authorities, the window for arrival for the boats in Havana should be between the night of Friday 27 March and midday of Saturday 28 March,” they explained. The Mexican Navy said on Thursday that there had been neither “communication nor confirmation of their arrival” in Cuba and that it had alerted naval commanders in the region and its search and rescue stations. The navy said earlier that the boats were due to arrive between Tuesday and Wednesday.   Nationalities Unknown People watch the vessel Maguro — symbolically renamed “Granma 2.0” as a tribute to the yacht used by Fidel Castro’s guerrilla fighters to launch their revolution in 1956 — as it arrives from Mexico with humanitarian aid as part of the Nuestra America convoy, docking at the port of Havana on March 24, 2026. (Photo by YAMIL LAGE / AFP)   The navy did not specify the identities or nationalities of the crew members on the missing boats but said it was maintaining communication with rescue agencies in Poland, France, Cuba and the United States. The navy is also in contact “with the diplomatic missions of the crew members’ countries of origin” to cooperate and exchange information in real time, the statement said. It said it was using aircraft to search the route between Isla Mujeres and Havana. It appealed to seafarers and maritime authorities in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico to report any information or sightings of the missing vessels to the nearest naval authority. US President Donald Trump imposed a de facto oil blockade on Cuba in January after US forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, whose government had been its principal source of Cuba’s fuel supplies. Trump has also threatened tariffs on countries that ship oil to Cuba. Cuba has suffered seven nationwide blackouts since 2024, including two last week alone. Join Our Whatsapp Channel To join: Simply click on the link below & turn on notifications to get the latest updates Subscribe to Our Newsletter In This Article: Aid boats Cuba Mexico missing More Stories Nigeria Faces Worst Hunger In Decade As Aid Cuts Hit Northeast, UN Warns Israel To Ban 37 NGOs In Gaza Pakistan Secures Further $1.2 Billion Loan From IMF /* * * CONFIGURATION VARIABLES: EDIT BEFORE PASTING INTO YOUR WEBPAGE * * / var disqus_shortname = 'channelstelevision'; // Required - Replace example with your forum shortname / * * DON'T EDIT BELOW THIS LINE * * */ (function() { var dsq = document.createElement('script'); dsq.type = 'text/javascript'; dsq.async = true; dsq.src = '//' + disqus_shortname + '.disqus.com/embed.js'; (document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0] || document.getElementsByTagName('body')[0]).appendChild(dsq); })(); Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.

SOURCE: https://www.channelstv.com/2026/03/27/mexico-searches-for-missing-boats-ferrying-aid-to-cuba/