Two Separate Cuba-bound Aid Ships Listed Unaccounted For after Setting Sail from Mexico.

A large-scale search and rescue effort is actively in progress in the Caribbean region for two lost sailboats transporting humanitarian supplies en route from the Mexican coast to the island of Cuba.

Naval Search and Rescue Operations Initiated

Authorities in Mexico has dispatched navy personnel and reconnaissance aircraft to find the Friendship and Tigger Moth, which were carrying at least 9 crew members, according to a navy statement.

The vessels had been projected to make landfall in Cuba's capital on either Tuesday or Wednesday, but there has been radio silence from them and no official word of their docking, authorities reported.

The Situation of Humanitarian Support to the Island

Cuba has leaned on humanitarian shipments from Mexico over the past few weeks, as the island endures widespread national electricity failures.

"Both skippers and their teams are veteran seafarers, and each boat are equipped with appropriate navigational gear and communication devices," an official associated with the mission commented.

The nine-person crew are from France, Poland, the United States, and Cuba. Mexican authorities said it has opened communications with rescue coordination centers from each country along with their embassy officials.

"We are collaborating completely with the officials and remain confident in the capability of the sailors to reach Havana safely," the official further stated.

Earlier Humanitarian Mission

Previously that week, the Cuban government widely celebrated and greeted with fanfare a separate vessel that had carried 14 tonnes of relief supplies to the country.

That ship, dubbed "Granma 2.0" following the name of the yacht in which Castro returned to Cuba to launch the Cuban Revolution in the 1950s, carried solar equipment, pharmaceuticals, baby formula, bikes and foodstuffs.

Wider International Backdrop

Charity groups and individuals have been at the forefront of initiatives to bring essential supplies to Cuba since January, when a energy blockade on the Communist-run nation began.

The United Nations have since highlighted "dire" shortages of supplies, with more than 50k surgical procedures postponed in Cuba because of energy rationing.

Diplomatic measures have been ramped up over the past months, with statements from various officials underscoring the complex state of diplomatic ties.

Responding to certain comments, a high-ranking Cuban official insisted that "the socialist system of Cuba is not up for negotiation."

Indications suggest that preliminary steps of discussions commenced, although their present status remains uncertain.

The Mexican navy affirmed it was dedicated to using every available asset at its disposal to find the boats and secure the security of the sailors.

To date, there has been silence on the disappeared vessels by the government in Havana.