Two Cuba-bound aid ships missing after leaving Mexico

A search and rescue operation is underway in the Caribbean for two missing sailboats filled with humanitarian supplies travelling from Mexico to Cuba.

Mexico has deployed naval teams and military search aircraft to locate the Friendship and Tigger Moth, which were carrying at least nine crew members, the Mexican navy said in a statement.

The vessels had been expected to arrive in Havana on Tuesday or Wednesday, but there has been no communication from them and no confirmation of their arrival, the navy said.

Cuba has relied heavily on Mexico's humanitarian shipments over recent weeks, as the country struggles through multiple nationwide blackouts under the US energy blockade.

The two missing ships departed Isla Mujeres, in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo on 20 March.

The nine crew members are from Poland, France, Cuba and the US. Mexico said it has established contact with maritime rescue coordination centres from each country along with their diplomatic representatives.

"The captains and crews are experienced sailors, and both vessels are equipped with appropriate safety systems and signalling equipment," the convoy's spokesperson said in a statement to Reuters.

"We are co-operating fully with the authorities and remain confident in the crews' ability to reach Havana safely."

The Mexican navy said it was committed to using all of the resources at its disposal to locate the boats and ensure the safety of the crews.

There has been no comment on the missing boats by the Cuban government.

Earlier in the week, the Cuban government widely celebrated and warmly received another boat that had carried 14 tonnes of humanitarian aid to the island.

The vessel, dubbed "Granma 2.0" after the boat in which Fidel Castro returned to Cuba to launch the Cuban Revolution in the 1950s, delivered solar panels, medicines, baby formula, bicycles and food.

Volunteers and NGOs have largely spearheaded efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to Cuba since January, when US President Donald Trump's fuel embargo on the Communist-run country began.

The United Nation has since warned of "dire" supply shortages, with more than 50,000 surgeries cancelled in Cuba amid electricity supply constraints.

Trump has increased pressure on Cuba since US forces seized former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January.

Venezuela had previously provided large quantities of oil to Cuba, its regional ally.

Last week, Trump mulled the possibility of a "friendly takeover' of Cuba later saying it would be an "honour". In response, Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio insisted that "the political system of Cuba is not up for negotiation".

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel announced early stages of US-Cuba negotiations had begun although their progress is unclear.