The Granma 2.0 ship, part of the international solidarity convoy Nuestra América, set sail this Friday afternoon from the Port of Progreso, in Yucatán, Mexico, bound for Havana, Cuba. The vessel is carrying more than 30 tons of aid, including medical supplies, food, solar panels to mitigate the energy crisis, and bicycles, collected through the joint efforts of activists from more than 11 countries.
The journey covers approximately 370 nautical miles and is expected to take three days. Upon leaving Mexican territorial waters, the ship was escorted by the Papaloapan patrol boat of the Mexican Navy, ensuring a safe start to its voyage to the Caribbean island.
The crew includes prominent figures in international activism, among them Thiago Ávila, who previously participated in aid missions to the Gaza Strip. Organizers emphasized that this mission not only aims to deliver material resources but also to send a global political message against the US blockade, defining the action as an exercise in internationalism in the face of external pressures.
Mexico has already sent humanitarian aid to Cuba since the onset of the current phase of the U.S. siege—a phase marked by an oil blockade imposed on the island.
Earlier, while the cargo was being prepared, Ávila noted: “Given the restrictive measures—and what we consider a blockade amounting to an act of war—promoted by the United States government, Cuba is facing an unprecedented crisis. We are organizing this ‘Nuestra América’ [Our America] convoy to declare that Cuba is not alone. We are bringing food, medicines, and solar panels, but above all: solidarity.”
In addition to the maritime shipment, the solidarity movement reported that other brigades are already on Cuban soil. Anticipating potential risks of interception on the high seas, members of the convoy noted that they have secured international press coverage and established rapid communication protocols with embassies to publicly denounce any attempt to obstruct the delivery of the humanitarian cargo.
This solidarity mission emerges as a response designed to counter the impact of the U.S. blockade—a blockade that intensified following an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on January 29, which authorizes Washington to impose tariffs on goods and products originating from countries that supply oil to Cuba.
According to the organizers of this solidarity initiative, “The Trump administration is suffocating Cuba, cutting off fuel, flights, and supplies essential for survival. It is an emergency: hospitals are without electricity, ambulances are without gasoline, and sick people are without medication. There is no time to lose. We must act in solidarity with the Cuban people,” they emphasize. The convoy seeks to break this isolation by delivering aid via air, sea, and land routes.
Mexican and international activists at the port of Progreso collaborated in loading the vessel *Granma 2.0*—named in honor of the yacht aboard which the 82 members of the 26th of July Movement sailed from Mexico to Cuba in 1956. The vessel was estimated to arrive in Havana on March 21, but it will arrive later due to a delay in its departure (originally scheduled for the 19th) caused by donations that continued to arrive.
IMAGE CREDIT: The organizers stated that this mission not only seeks to deliver material resources but also to send a global political message against the US blockade, defining the action as an exercise in internationalism in the face of external pressure. Photo: @AissateleSUR
[ SOURCE: teleSUR ]
