Two Separate Cuba-Destined Humanitarian Ships Declared Missing after Setting Sail from the Coast of Mexico.
A extensive rescue and recovery mission is presently in progress in the Caribbean region for a pair of missing boats transporting humanitarian supplies en route from the Mexican coast to Havana.
Maritime Search Missions Initiated
The Mexican government has sent naval assets and military search aircraft to locate the missing boats, which were had on board at least nine total crew members, per a military release.
The boats had been projected to arrive in Havana on the early part of the week, but there has been radio silence from them and no official word of their docking, the navy said.
The Situation of Humanitarian Support to the Island
Cuba has relied heavily on humanitarian shipments from Mexico over the past few weeks, as the country struggles through widespread power outages across the country.
"The skippers and their teams are seasoned mariners, and each boat are equipped with suitable safety equipment and signalling equipment," a spokesperson involved in the effort said.
The nine individuals on board are nationals of Poland, France, Cuba and the US. Mexican authorities said it has been in touch with coast guard agencies from the involved countries along with their embassy officials.
"We are co-operating fully with the officials and remain confident in the capability of the sailors to safely arrive in Havana," the official further stated.
Recent Relief Shipment
Just days before, the Cuban government warmly welcomed and greeted with fanfare a different ship that had delivered 14 tonnes of relief supplies to the island.
That boat, called "a new Granma" following the name of the boat in which the revolutionary leader returned to Cuba to start the armed struggle in the 1950s, brought photovoltaic panels, medicines, baby formula, cycles and provisions.
Broader Geopolitical Climate
Volunteers and NGOs have primarily led attempts to bring critical assistance to Cuba starting at the turn of the year, a period which saw a fuel embargo on the Communist-run nation began.
International organizations have since highlighted "dire" shortages of supplies, with in excess of 50k surgical procedures called off in Cuba due to power shortages.
Political measures have been ramped up over the past months, with remarks from several representatives emphasizing the complicated situation regarding diplomatic ties.
Reacting to previous comments, a senior government figure declared that "the socialist system of Cuba is not up for negotiation."
Accounts suggest that early stages of discussions were initiated, although their present status remains not publicly known.
The naval forces stated it was pledged to using all of the resources at its command to locate the boats and secure the security of the crews.
As of now, there has been silence on the missing boats by the Cuban government.