At approximately 1800 on October 29, 2022, enroute from San Juan, Puerto Rico to Houston, Texas – the National Shipping of America vessel National Glory bridge team spotted a raft in distress. The Captain, Tom Lisante, slowed the vessel so they could communicate via loud speaker in Spanish to confirm if the raft was in distress. Raft occupants confirmed they had lost their means of propulsion and could not make it back to land and needed assistance to survive. The National Glory contacted United States Coast Guard (USCG), Sector Key West, to report the raft in distress. Vessel boarded seven asylum seekers, presumed Cuban nationals, in a small boat 25 miles north of Cuba.
The National Glory then notified USCG Sector Miami and instructed to board individuals if safe to do so and divert toward Key West to rendezvous with USCG cutter operating in the area.
