The Secretariat of the Navy of Mexico (SEMAR) confirmed this Saturday the location at sea of the two vessels reported as missing while transporting humanitarian aid to Cuba, refuting earlier reports that claimed they had safely arrived on the island.
According to the institution in an official statement, a Mexican Navy aircraft located the two catamarans about 80 nautical miles northwest of Havana, in Caribbean waters. A SEMAR ship is already heading to the area to provide assistance while maintaining radio communication with the vessels.
The discovery comes after several days of uncertainty since contact was lost with the sailboats Friendship and Tiger Moth, which had set sail on March 21 from Isla Mujeres, Mexico, as part of the solidarity convoy "Nuestra América."
The ships were transporting humanitarian aid destined for Cuba, including food, medicine, hygiene products, and solar panels, amid the deep economic crisis the island is facing.
Aboard were nine people of different nationalities —two women, six men, and a three-year-old child— whose health status has not been specified at this time.
The official confirmation from Mexico corrects previously circulated reports by some international media, which cited the United States Coast Guard stating that the vessels had safely arrived in Cuba.
However, while those claims were circulating, the Mexican authorities were actively conducting the search and rescue operation, which indicated a lack of definitive confirmation.
On Thursday, the SEMAR activated the Marine Plan in its search and rescue component, deploying naval and aerial units, and coordinating efforts with maritime rescue centers from several countries, including the United States, Cuba, France, and Poland.
The operation is now in the assistance phase, while authorities head to the location where the sailboats were found, in an intervention that could be crucial to clarifying what happened during the days they were cut off at sea.
The case has drawn international attention not only due to the risk to the crew members but also because of the initial misinformation, which highlighted the circulation of unverified versions amid an ongoing operation.
Controversies Surrounding the "Nuestra América" Convoy
The so-called "Nuestra América" Convoy, an international initiative that brought humanitarian aid to Cuba in March 2026, has been surrounded by criticism and controversy since its arrival on the island.
Various reports gathered by CiberCuba show that, beyond the solidarity component, the initiative generated strong opposition among sectors of Cuban society and the exile community.
One of the main criticisms has been the political and media nature of the convoy. Critics argue that the action projects an image of solidarity that actually benefits the Cuban government and does not address the structural causes of the crisis on the island.
The disconnect between the conditions in which the participants operated and the daily reality of Cubans has also been widely pointed out.
The use of electric vehicles, staying in hotels, and organizing public activities stood in stark contrast to the context of blackouts, transportation shortages, and basic scarcities faced by the population.
On social media and in public spaces, the arrival of the vessels provoked predominantly critical reactions, with mockery and doubts about the actual extent of the aid sent.
Voices also joined in labeling the initiative as "ideological tourism" or a political visibility exercise rather than effective assistance, even from participants or analysts close to similar causes.
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