MÉRIDA, Mexico -. The LAMBDA Siboney fishing vessel was stranded this Saturday during the crossing from Havana to Gerona.
The ship, approximately 32 meters in length and with a hull of prefabricated material, which had recently been repaired, ran aground at half past one in the morning today, Transportation Minister Eduardo Rodríguez Dávila said on Facebook.
The place of the stranding is the La Mulata cove in the Tabaco lighthouse north of Bahia Honda.
“The crew members are not in danger and the Border Guard Troops sent a boat to the scene to provide help. The rescue system was activated with Antillana de Salvamento to proceed as established,” the official added.
Most of the boats in the Cuban fishing fleet are in poor condition.
Last May, for example, it emerged that 65% of available boats in the Las Tunas Fishing Company are in disuse due to the shortage of spare parts such as motors and batteries.
The previous figure represents that of the 23 ships in the Las Tunas fleet, only eight are currently operating.
Xiomara Concepción, investment specialist at the state company, pointed out that the lack of fishing in the city has resulted, among other things, in the lack of products of the sea on the net local commercial.
“The deficit of fish in the commercial network of Las Tunas has been a prevailing reality for some years with the supply of derived foods such as croquettes, sausages and hash; a situation that the province seeks to transform with the improvement of fishing gear and the creation of new sources of production and supply,” the report states.
In the midst of this panorama, Las Tunas has been forced to source fish from neighboring provinces such as Holguín and Camagüey.
