Two Cuba-bound Humanitarian Sailboats Listed Unaccounted For after Departing the Coast of Mexico.

A extensive rescue and recovery effort is actively under way in the Caribbean waters for two missing sailing vessels loaded with relief goods traveling from Mexico to Havana.

Military Search and Rescue Efforts Deployed

The Mexican government has deployed naval assets and military search aircraft to search for the two vessels, which were carrying at least nine crew members, per a military release.

The ships had been scheduled to arrive in Cuba's capital on either Tuesday or Wednesday, but there has been a complete lack of contact from them and no official word of their safe arrival, the navy said.

The Situation of Humanitarian Support to Cuba

Cuba has leaned on humanitarian shipments from Mexico over the past few weeks, as the island struggles through repeated power outages across the country.

"Both crews and captains are seasoned mariners, and both vessels are equipped with proper navigational gear and emergency beacons," a spokesperson for the convoy commented.

The nine crew members are from the United States, Cuba, France, and Poland. Officials said it has opened communications with maritime rescue coordination centres from the involved countries along with their diplomatic representatives.

"We are collaborating completely with the authorities and are still optimistic in the crews' ability to safely arrive in Havana," the spokesperson added.

Earlier Relief Shipment

Previously that week, the Cuban government publicly celebrated and officially received another boat that had delivered a significant amount of relief supplies to the country.

That boat, dubbed "a modern Granma" following the name of the boat in which Castro returned to Cuba to begin the armed struggle in the 1950s, delivered photovoltaic panels, drugs, infant formula, bikes and food.

Wider Political Climate

Charity groups and individuals have largely spearheaded initiatives to ship critical assistance to Cuba beginning in January, coinciding with the time a oil sanctions on the island nation began.

The United Nations have since highlighted "dire" supply shortages, with more than 50k surgeries cancelled in Cuba due to electricity supply constraints.

Foreign policy tensions have increased lately, with remarks from different officials highlighting the complicated state of bilateral relations.

Reacting to previous proposals, a high-ranking official from Cuba declared that "the governance model of Cuba is not subject to discussion."

Indications suggest that preliminary steps of talks commenced, although their current progress remains unclear.

The Mexican navy stated it was pledged to using every available asset at its disposal to discover the vessels and secure the well-being of the people on board.

To date, there has been no public statement on the lost ships by the Cuban leadership.