a search-and-rescue mission. The boats, which went missing from Thursday to Saturday with nine people aboard, were seen sailing across the capital's oceanfront on their way to the port, an AFP journalist said. The vessels are bringing the final shipments of Our America Convoy, an international humanitarian effort that has brought aid to support Cuba as a US oil blockade deepens the island's energy and economic crisis. The Friend Ship and Tiger Moth, which set sail from southeast Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula on March 20, had been expected to arrive in Cuba on Tuesday or Wednesday.

But the Mexican Navy announced a search and rescue mission Thursday after losing communication with them, raising concerns about their fate. The US Coast Guard sparked confusion Friday when it said it had received a report that the two vessels had "safely transited to Cuba," only to say later that the search was ongoing and it was not involved in it. After a tense wait, organizers of Our America Convoy reported early Saturday that the Mexican Navy had finally located the boats and that the crews were safe. The Navy said one of its aircraft had spotted the sailboats 80 nautical miles northwest of Havana. It then deployed a ship to support them.  The identities and nationalities of the crew members have not been disclosed, but Mexico's Navy had been in communication with rescue agencies in Poland, France, Cuba and the United States.Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel had voiced concern about their disappearance on Friday and said his country was doing everything to find them. (Bssnews)