The Mexican Navy Secretariat (Semar) on Thursday announced that two sailboats carrying “humanitarian aid” from Mexico to Cuba are deemed missing at sea after they failed to arrive in Havana as scheduled.
In an official statement, the Mexican Secretariat detailed that it activated a search and rescue operation to locate the two missing sailboats and the nine individuals aboard, all of different nationalities. According to CNN en Español, the list of missing individuals is composed of two women, six men, and a three-year-old child.
The two missing sailboats were reportedly the last two vessels that sailed from Mexico as part of the “Nuestra America” convoy, a far-left initiative led by a cohort of international leftist figures and politicians that visited Cuba to express their solidarity with the communist Castro regime. The support comes at a time in which the dysfunctional regime faces a complex situation following the arrest of one of their top benefactors, deposed Venezuelan socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro, who was arrested alongside his wife Cilia Flores on January 3 after President Donald Trump authorized a law enforcement operation to arrest the pair. Maduro was long wanted by U.S. authorities on multiple narco-terrorism charges.
The Secretariat said that the two vessels set sail on March 20 from Isla Mujeres, Quintana Roo, towards Havana. The vessels were expected to arrive in Cuba between March 24-25. As of the morning of Friday, March 26, there is no communication or confirmation of their arrival.
The “Nuestra America” convoy claimed that its purpose was to deliver “humanitarian assistance” in response to what they claim is President Trump’s “strangling” of Cuba through policies against the communist Castro regime, who for decades has committed numerous human rights abuses against the Cuban people and continues to do so. The initiative’s organizers do not appear to recognize any responsibility on the part of the Castro regime, who for over 67 years has plunged Cuba into a state of abject misery and poverty.
The Mexican Navy Secretariat is urging both the national and international maritime community operating in the Caribbean and in the Gulf of America to immediately report any sightings of the missing vessels to the nearest naval authorities. Mexican authorities are presently engaging in international coordination with consignees and Maritime Rescue Coordination Centers (MRCCs) in Poland, France, Cuba, and the United States, as well as with the corresponding diplomatic missions in Mexico from the countries of origin of the missing crew.
The Secretariat is also urging both the national and international maritime community operating in the Caribbean and in the Gulf of America to immediately report any sightings of the missing vessel to the nearest naval authorities. Mexican authorities are presently engaging in international coordination with consignees and Maritime Rescue Coordination Centers (MRCCs) in Poland, France, Cuba, and the United States, as well as with the corresponding diplomatic missions in Mexico from the countries of origin of the missing crew.
“These operations are being conducted in accordance with international search and rescue protocols, with the protection of human life at sea remaining the top priority at all times,” the statement read.
“The Secretariat of the Navy reaffirms its commitment to using all available resources to locate the vessels and ensure the safety of their crews,” the statement concluded.
In a Friday morning social media post, Miguel Díaz-Canel, the communist figurehead “president” of Cuba, claimed that the island-nation will do “everything possible to search and rescue their “brothers in struggle.”
In a statement to Reuters on Thursday a spokesperson for the Nuestra America convoy said, “The captains and crews are experienced sailors, and 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,” the spokesperson continued.
While the “Nuestra America” convoy organizers claimed that their purpose was to deliver “humanitarian aid” to Cuba, the cohort of international leftists that visited Havana last week availed themselves of the opportunity to stage a concert moments before a new nationwide blackout that did not appear to have affected the luxury hotel where most of the participants lodged. Videos circulating on social media appeared to show some of the leftist visitors to Cuba making Cuban children dance in the streets in exchange for food. The convoy’s show of support for the communist Castro regime was met with fierce backlash from Cuban dissidents in Cuba and from members of the Cuban diaspora.
Christian K. Caruzo is a Venezuelan writer and documents life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here
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