The first ship of a humanitarian aid flotilla carrying medical supplies, food and solar panels arrived in Cuba on Tuesday to help the island as a fuel blockade imposed by the United States worsens its energy crisis.
The shrimp boat “Maguro” docked in Havana three days late, after fighting against strong winds and currents during its journey from Mexico.
Upon entering the Havana Bay channel, the activists climbed onto the roof of the vessel, symbolically renamed “Granma 2.0” in homage to the yacht used by Fidel Castro to transport the troops with which he began his revolution in 1956.
They held a banner that read: “Let Cuba live,” while others, who were waiting for them on the dock, chanted “Cuba yes! Blockade no!”
The first shipments of the international convoy “Our America”, of which the flotilla is part, arrived last week by plane from Europe, Latin America and the United States. In total, they will transport about 50 tons of aid.
More ships expected
Two more ships are expected to arrive soon.
According to activists, this aid seeks to alleviate the situation of Cubans after the de facto oil blockade that Donald Trump’s administration imposed on the island in January.
“It showed that international solidarity can triumph over forced isolation,” said Adler, a U.S. citizen who is coordinator of the left-wing global group Progressive International.
Cuba has suffered seven national blackouts since the end of 2024 due to the aging of its thermoelectric plants and oil shortages.
The country’s situation worsened after the abrupt suspension in January of oil supplies from Venezuela, its main supplier of crude oil for 25 years, following the fall of Nicolás Maduro.
Since January 9, no oil has arrived on the island, which has impacted the electricity sector, reduced public transportation and generated flight cuts.
Humanitarian aid to Cuba
The “Maguro” set sail on Friday from Mexico with 32 people on board, including activists from Australia, Brazil, Ecuador, Italy, Mexico and the United States. AFP journalists traveled on the ship.
During part of the journey he was escorted by a Mexican Navy ship.
On board the “Maguro”, Brazilian activist Thiago Ávila said that other countries should help Cuba.
“We cannot allow the world and international law to be buried under the greed of Donald Trump,” Ávila, who was one of the organizers of the flotilla that tried to bring aid to Gaza in 2025, told AFP, but the Israeli naval blockade prevented it.
“That’s why we are here, that’s why people decided to mobilize for this and decided to donate,” he added.
Fellow Brazilian activist Lisi Proença said the group was applying the experience gained with the Gaza flotilla to deliver aid to Cuba.
“The interesting thing is that we can now carry much larger items, like solar panels,” he told AFP.
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