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Humanitarian vessels located after losing contact
Two boats carrying relief supplies from Mexico to Cuba were found intact and their crews unharmed, organizers confirmed on Saturday. The Mexican Navy located the vessels days after they vanished in the Caribbean.
Circumstances of disappearance unclear
A spokesperson for the Nuestra America Convoy, which coordinated the mission, said the boats-named Friendship and Tiger Moth-were safely en route to Havana but did not explain why they had gone silent. Both departed Isla Mujeres, Quintana Roo, on March 20 and were expected to reach Cuba between March 24 and 25.
The Mexican Navy has not disclosed how it tracked the vessels or what caused the communication lapse.
Crew and mission details
The two boats carry nine crew members from Poland, France, Cuba, and the United States. Their cargo includes urgently needed humanitarian aid for Cuba, where fuel shortages have crippled infrastructure and triggered widespread blackouts.
"The convoy remains on track to complete its mission-delivering urgently needed humanitarian aid to the Cuban people," the Nuestra America Convoy spokesperson said.
Cuba's worsening crisis
The U.S. oil embargo imposed in January has deepened Cuba's fuel shortages, leading to canceled surgeries, food scarcities, and medicine shortages. The United Nations has described the supply situation as "dire," with over 50,000 medical procedures postponed due to power outages and aging infrastructure.
Public frustration has spilled into rare street protests, though the Cuban government recently welcomed another aid vessel, Granma 2.0, which delivered 14 tons of supplies, including solar panels, medicine, and baby formula.
U.S. policy and diplomatic tensions
Since the U.S. detained Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January and severed oil shipments from Venezuela-a key Cuban ally-Washington has intensified pressure on Havana. U.S. officials have threatened tariffs on nations supplying oil to Cuba and hinted at a "friendly takeover" unless Cuba negotiates.
Cuba has acknowledged ongoing talks with the U.S. but insists its political system is "not up for negotiation."
"You need to change the people in charge, you need to change the system that runs the country, and you need to change the economic model," U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters in Paris on Friday.
Marco Rubio, U.S. Secretary of State
Rubio dismissed claims of a U.S. naval blockade, arguing that Cuba's fuel shortages stem from its reliance on subsidized oil and outdated infrastructure. "The reason why they're having blackouts is because they have equipment from the 1950s and '60s that they never maintained," he said.
What's next
The Friendship and Tiger Moth are expected to dock in Havana in the coming days, while diplomatic negotiations between the U.S. and Cuba remain unresolved.
