For the first time in 50 years, Havana Bay has received a shipment of humanitarian aid from Miami in the United States.

The Ana Cecilia sailed into the Cuban harbour shortly after 11:00 GMT or 7am local time on Friday, carrying family goods, food, medicine and clothing, as well as medical equipment such as orthopedic mattresses and electric wheelchairs.

Shipper International Port Corp. hopes to make this a weekly service between the US and Cuba, who have been at ideological odds for years, with a ship leaving Miami every Wednesday for the 16-hour trip to Havana.

The US had imposed a trade embargo on the Communist-run island since 1962, but International Port Corp. says it has been granted a special permit from the US to begin trading.