The sailboat Astral, from the Spanish NGO Open Arms, is set to arrive this Friday at the port of Havana after more than two months of journeying from Barcelona.
This is a new fleet supporting the regime. The Naiz portal reported that this time, more than seven tons of donations are being transported, which include medications, essential supplies, and photovoltaic solar panels.
The mission, framed within the "Rumbo a Cuba" platform, was officially presented on March 19, 2026, before the Congress of Deputies in Madrid, drawing inspiration from the visibility strategy used by the flotilla that headed to the Gaza Strip.
Cubadebate published a brief note stating that it did not provide details regarding the arrival of the flotilla, but claims that the donations are "intended to support the population," amid the economic crisis the country is experiencing.
The ship departed from Barcelona on May 11 and made stops in València, Málaga, Cádiz, and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria before crossing the Atlantic and the Caribbean Sea. Onboard throughout the journey is Óscar Camps, director of Open Arms, who stated during the stop in the Canaries that "blockades are meant to be broken, and it's civil society that breaks them."
A central part of the shipment consists of photovoltaic equipment intended for the intensive care unit of the Hospital Pediátrico Juan Manuel Márquez in Havana, where it will be installed to ensure a power supply in one of the most critical areas of the facility.
Alongside the Astral, a political delegation is traveling to Cuba by air. Among its members are the MEP Ana Miranda Paz from the Bloque Nacionalista Galego in the Greens-European Free Alliance group, and Miguel Urbán, leader of Anticapitalistas and co-founder of Podemos.
Miranda Paz described the initiative as "the first civilian vessel to cross the Atlantic to go to Cuba" and lamented the little media attention it received.
"We want to convey our support to the Cuban people for the situation they are experiencing, facing absolute blockade and its consequences on health and food," he said.
The itinerary of the delegation in Havana includes meetings with the ruler Miguel Díaz-Canel, with authorities from the National Assembly, and with the singer-songwriter Silvio Rodríguez, as well as visits to the Galician Center of Havana and the García Lorca Theater.
The mission is supported by Spanish political formations such as EH Bildu, Sumar, Podemos, Esquerra Republicana, Catalunya en Comú, Compromís, and BNG, as well as social organizations like Ecologistas en Acción. The fundraising campaign raised 63,609 euros out of a goal of 100,000 euros, with 1,031 donors.
The flotilla arrives at a time of unprecedented energy crisis in Cuba, with five widespread blackouts recorded so far in 2026, and power cuts lasting up to 20 hours daily in Havana.
The flotilla "Nuestra América," organized by global leftist movements featuring figures like Jeremy Corbyn, arrived in Cuba in March 2026 with about 50 tons of aid, a larger operation than that of the Astral.
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