Ship connects Miami to Havana for the first time in 50 years.

247 – For the first time in 50 years, a maritime shipment of humanitarian aid departs from the United States bound for Cuba. Cuban-American lawmakers celebrated the event as a possible end to the economic embargo imposed on the island, but an understanding between the two countries is far from being reached, as explained by Globo:

The Cuban exile capital began a historic journey this Wednesday with the first direct sea shipment from Miami to Havana in over 50 years. The ship “Ana Cecilia,” from International Port Corp., departed around noon (local time) and will arrive in the Cuban capital on Thursday. The trip is the first of a regular weekly route for delivering humanitarian aid and sending packages from Cuban-Americans to their relatives.

The measure, seen by experts as a sign of rapprochement between the US and Cuba, was the result of two years of efforts to obtain authorizations from the US Department of Commerce and the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the Treasury Department. But it is far from indicating the end of the economic embargo imposed on the island after the Cuban revolution. Despite pressure from the international community, President Barack Obama has already made it clear that changes will depend on progress in Cuba.

"This measure is a microscopic step, but it brings the US closer to Cuba. The Cuban population has very little of what we consider everyday necessities, and all assistance is important," said Rafael Lima, a professor of Communication at the University of Miami.

According to Leonardo Sánchez-Adega, spokesperson for International Port Corp., who explained this to GLOBO, the demand for their services is high.

Currently, Cuban-Americans send packages to family members by plane, with prices that can reach US$12 per package. The shipping service will charge US$5,99 for every 500 grams. The list of products sent reflects the scarcity of goods in Cuba. One container was packed with food, clothing, hygiene items, and lingerie. One man sent an orthopedic mattress to his family, and another sent an electric wheelchair.

Data from the 2010 Census shows that Cubans in Florida now number 1,2 million, equivalent to 6,5% of the population. In Miami-Dade County, they make up more than a third of the residents.

Risk of violating the embargo

The crossing has already prompted complaints from a Republican congresswoman from South Florida. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen sent a letter to the Treasury Department on June 19 asking if the company was violating the embargo rules, especially the Helms-Burton Act of 1966, which stipulates that no vessel entering Cuba and participating in the trade of goods may enter a US port for the purpose of loading or unloading cargo for 180 days after leaving the island.

"We found out about this through the press. We are following the law. Nothing we are sending to the country can be resold. The ship does not accept goods from the island; it will return empty on Friday morning," says Sánchez-Adega.

In addition to Cuban-Americans, potential clients include non-governmental organizations, religious institutions, and charities.

International Port Corp. is not the first company to deliver humanitarian aid to Cuba. Crowley Maritime has a service for shipping agricultural products and aid items from another city in Florida, Port Everglades. But this is the first time that aid has come from Miami, a city that brings together a large portion of Cuban-American groups that support the embargo against the island and the adoption of pressure measures against the Castro brothers' regime.

Omar López Montenegro, director of the National Foundation of Cuban Americans, told GLOBO that the Cuban government has increased efforts to control the arrival of products into the country:

- This food goes to the Catholic Church and to the population, to self-employed workers who sell food. That's right, the aid will increase, but the Cuban government has already imposed taxes on all food imports. It's fear of losing control.