RFA Largs Bay Continues World Food Programme Tasking

RFA Largs Bay Continues World Food Programme Offload

RFA Largs Bay beats the rain to unload essential cargo In Gonaives

Following the successful unloading of UK Aid in Port au Prince on behalf of DfiD and International NGOs, RFA Largs Bay has started to unload its first cargo of essential food for the World Food Programme. The cargo which includes 3600 sacks of peas, 4050 sacks of rice and 7392 cartons of ready to eat meals will be enough to feed 200, 000 Haitians for a month in the remote area of Gonaives, some 70nm away from the capital Port au Prince.

Mary O’Neil’, the Port Captain for the World Food Programme and principal organiser of the consignment said:

"Our arrival in Gonaives displays the versatility of the excellent ship Largs Bay and the niche capability that it has brought to Haiti. This is the first time that the World Food Programme has worked so closely with any maritime military organisation and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Ship Largs Bay is just perfect for our needs."

She continued:

"We are in a race against time to transport as much essential and high value cargo as possible before the rains arrive. This cargo alone has prevented an extra 300 lorry loads travelling the precarious coastal road and saved me over 2 weeks work. At the same time those lorries can be put to better use clearing out the local environs of Port au Prince which still has so much work to be done."

The cargo will be unloaded by soldiers of the 17 Port and Maritime Regiment, Royal Logistics Corps and is expected to take up to 3 days to complete.

See Unit Haiti Diary