Two Cuba-bound Aid Ships Reported Lost following Setting Sail from Mexican Waters.

A large-scale search and rescue operation is currently in progress in the Caribbean waters for a duo of unlocated sailboats loaded with humanitarian supplies traveling from Mexico to Havana.

Maritime Search Operations Initiated

Mexico has deployed naval teams and military search aircraft to locate the Friendship and Tigger Moth, which were transporting at least nine total sailors, per a military release.

The boats had been projected to make landfall in Havana on the early part of the week, but there has been a complete lack of contact from them and no confirmation of their docking, the navy said.

Background of Humanitarian Support to Cuba

The island nation has depended significantly on Mexico's over the last several weeks, as the country endures repeated power outages across the country.

"The crews and captains are experienced sailors, and each boat are fitted with proper safety equipment and communication devices," a representative associated with the mission said.

The nine-person crew are from the United States, Cuba, France, and Poland. Mexico said it has opened communications with maritime rescue coordination centres from each country along with their diplomatic representatives.

"The group is co-operating fully with the officials and remain confident in the ability of the crews to safely arrive in Havana," the official further stated.

Previous Humanitarian Shipment

Earlier in the week, the Cuban government widely celebrated and greeted with fanfare another boat that had delivered a significant amount of humanitarian aid to the island.

That boat, dubbed "a new Granma" after the yacht in which Fidel Castro came back to Cuba to begin the armed struggle in the 1950s, delivered solar equipment, drugs, baby formula, bicycles and provisions.

Wider International Backdrop

Non-governmental organizations and volunteers have been at the forefront of initiatives to ship essential supplies to Cuba since January, coinciding with the time a energy blockade on the Communist-run nation was initiated.

Global bodies have since warned of ""severe" shortages of supplies, with over fifty thousand operations called off in Cuba due to energy rationing.

Foreign policy pressure have been ramped up over the past months, with statements from different representatives emphasizing the complex state of bilateral relations.

Responding to recent comments, a high-ranking government figure declared that "the governance model of Cuba is not up for negotiation."

Reports suggest that preliminary steps of discussions had begun, although their present status remains unclear.

The Mexican navy said it was pledged to using the full extent of its capabilities at its reach to locate the boats and secure the security of the crews.

To date, there has been silence on the lost ships by the Cuban government.