U.S. Oceanography Vessel Visits Havana Port

U.S. Oceanography Vessel Visits Havana Port
2.34 p.m. EST (1934 GMT) January 2, 1998

HAVANA -- Cubans living near the port of Havana woke up Friday to the unusual sight of a large oceangoing ship flying the U.S. flag moored right in front of Cuban navy headquarters.

The ship was the R/V Seward Johnson, an oceanography exploration vessel equipped with a minisubmarine and registered in Fort Pierce, Florida.

A crew member told Reuters the vessel, operated by the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution Inc., had been involved in filming underwater coral reefs on Cuba's southern coast with a television crew from the U.S. network Discovery Channel.

A long-standing trade embargo imposed against Communist-ruled Cuba by the United States restricts travel to the Caribbean island by U.S. ships, but licenses to visit are sometimes granted by U.S. authorities for special reasons such as scientific research.

Small U.S. yachts and pleasure craft often visit Cuban coastal marinas, many ignoring the U.S. embargo.

But Havana residents said they could not remember the last time a large oceangoing U.S. vessel was seen moored in Havana port, which only a few years ago was more accustomed to welcoming Soviet warships and freighters.

The U.S. vessel later headed for the mouth of Havana Bay, within sight of the historic Morro Castle and Lighthouse. The crew member said the crew would be carrying out diving operations there during the day.