Mexico launches search for missing sailboats carrying aid to Cuba

By Sol Amaya, CNN Español

(CNN) — Mexico has launched a search and rescue operation for two sail boats that vanished at sea while attempting to deliver food, medicine and other aid to Cuba.

Nine people were on board the vessels, which were meant to deliver humanitarian relief to the island nation this week as part of a larger maritime convoy. A US oil blockade intended to pressure the Cuban government has plunged the country deeper into crisis, with food shortages and days-long electrical blackouts.

Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Friday that a Mexican navy ship had made contact with the convoy but “after a few hours it no longer had contact, and from there a search process began. They’re continuing the search for these two small vessels.”

Secretariat of the Mexican Navy (SEMAR) said the sail boats had set sail from Isla Mujeres, off the coast of Cancun, on Saturday. They were scheduled to arrive in Havana days ago, it said.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel expressed his concern on X, writing: “From our country we are doing everything possible in the search and rescue of these brothers in struggle.”

The missing crew are understood to be from Poland, France, Cuba and the US.

The US Coast Guard said it was notified about the missing boats by Mexico on Thursday, but it hadn’t been asked to help. “We remain vigilant and prepared to provide support if requested,” the Coast Guard told CNN.

The missing ships’ captains and crews are experienced sailors, convoy organizers Nuestra America said Friday. “Both vessels are equipped with appropriate safety systems and signaling equipment. We are cooperating fully with the authorities and remain confident in the crews’ ability to reach Havana safely.”

Search and rescue operation

Mexico is sending Persuader-type aircraft, which specialize in maritime patrol, to search along the estimated route of the vessels between Isla Mujeres and Havana.

The overall search and rescue operation involves the navy, surveillance aircraft and the wider maritime community, SEMAR said. It is also communicating with “shipping agencies and Maritime Rescue Coordination Centers (MRCC) in Poland, France, Cuba and the United States, as well as with diplomatic representations of the countries of origin of the people on board.”

CNN has reached out to the Cuban foreign ministry for more information.

The boats were originally scheduled to arrive in Cuba between March 24 and 25, the Mexican navy said.

But their window for arrival was later updated to between Friday night and midday Saturday based on “the speed of the vessels reported to the Cuban maritime authorities,” according to a spokesperson for Nuestra America.

Mexican authorities have asked other boats in the area, including fishing and recreational vehicles, to report any sighting of the missing boats.

“We echo the Mexican Navy’s appeal for any information or sightings of the vessels,” Nuestra America said.

The two sailboats were the last two of the Mexican delegation of the Nuestra América Convoy that was carrying humanitarian aid to Cuba. The full convoy was transporting around 30 tons of aid, including food, medicine, hygiene products and solar panels.

Cuba has taken a severe economic hit since the US effectively blocked its oil supply earlier this year, depriving its aging electricity network of its main source of fuel.

On Sunday, the island was plunged into its second nationwide blackout in less than a week, leaving more than 10 million people without power after the electrical grid suffered “a total disconnection.”

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CNN’s Sophie Tanno, Uriel Blanco, Max Saltman, Patrick Oppmann and Michael Rios contributed to this report.