The Mexican navy said Saturday that it has located two boats transporting humanitarian aid to Cuba after reporting them missing earlier this week.
An aircraft from the Mexican navy found the sailboats about 80 nautical miles northwest of Havana, Cuba, the navy said on X. The navy added that one of its boats was on the way to provide support.
The vessels with crew members of several different nationalities on board set sail March 20 from Isla Mujeres in Mexico's southeastern state of Quintana Roo and were due to arrive in Havana on Tuesday or Wednesday, the navy said in a statement.
It said Thursday that there had been neither "communication nor confirmation of their arrival" in Cuba and that it has alerted naval commanders in the region and its search and rescue stations. It wasn't immediately clear what created the lull in communication.
An image provided by Mexico's navy shows one of the aid vessels heading to Cuba.
Mexican navy
Since last week, activists from several countries have left Mexican ports on vessels loaded with food and other supplies for the Communist-led island, which faces a humanitarian crisis in the face of a U.S.-imposed fuel embargo.
A spokesperson for Nuestra America Convoy, a global coalition that is helping organize aid shipments to Cuba, indicated to CBS News in a statement Thursday night that the boats were part of its group.
Nuestra America Convoy noted that neither boat had yet sent out a distress signal.
James Schneider, communications director for Progressive International who helped coordinate the Nuestra America convoy to Cuba, thanked Mexican and Cuban authorities for their help on Saturday and said he was "relieved" to hear they were safe, The Associated Press reported.
"The crews are safe, and the vessels are continuing their journey to Havana," he said. "The convoy remains on track to complete its mission - delivering urgently needed humanitarian aid to the Cuban people."
Aid brought by the Nuestra America Convoy from Mexico is collected at the William Soler Pediatric Cardiocenter in Havana, Cuba, on March 25, 2026.
Lisandra COTS /AFP via Getty Images
Mexico's navy did not specify the identities or nationalities of the crew members on the boat.
President Trump imposed a de facto oil blockade on Cuba in January after the U.S. ouster of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, whose government had been its principal source Cuba's fuel supplies.
Earlier this month, Cuban leader Miguel Diaz-Canel said Cuban officials recently held conversations with the U.S. government aimed at addressing long-standing differences between the two countries, though any potential agreement remains in the early stages.
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