Two Sailboats Carrying Aid to Cuba Have Gone Missing

A search and rescue operation is underway in the Caribbean for two missing sailboats that left Mexico last week carrying humanitarian supplies bound for Cuba.

The vessels, named Friendship and Tigger Moth, departed Isla Mujeres on Mexico’s eastern coast on March 20 with at least nine crew members aboard, representing four nationalities: Poland, France, Cuba, and the United States. They were expected to arrive in Havana by Tuesday or Wednesday of this week. Neither boat has been heard from since.

Mexico has deployed naval search teams and military aircraft to locate the missing ships. The Mexican navy said it is committed to using all available resources and has established contact with maritime rescue coordination centres and diplomatic representatives from each of the crew members’ home countries.

The missing boats are part of a broader wave of civilian efforts to get supplies to Cuba since US President Donald Trump imposed an oil embargo on the island in January.

The blockade has had devastating consequences. The United Nations has warned of dire shortages, with more than 50,000 surgeries cancelled due to fuel constraints and ageing energy infrastructure that caused repeated nationwide blackouts.

Earlier this week, another aid vessel successfully reached Cuba, delivering 14 tonnes of supplies, including solar panels, medicines, baby formula, bicycles, and food.