As the population of Tripoli faces a serious shortage of potable water, the Logistics Cluster expands the reach of a WFP-chartered merchant vessel to deliver bottled water to the capital.
Eight weeks ago, in response to an urgent request from humanitarian organisations attempting to provide relief to the population of Misrata, the Logistics Cluster began transporting aid workers and life-saving relief cargo into the city via the MV FEHIM BEY. Access to Misrata represented an enormous challenge, as the roads to the city were inaccessible due to the ongoing fighting. Finding the right ship, one that was capable of transporting sufficient quantities of cargo and passengers, and that was willing to operate in an insecure region, was challenging; new protocols and booking processes had to be established, along with appropriate security measures for cleared passengers.
The service, coordinated through the Logistics Cluster has been extended into September. Since July, the vessel has completed 12 rotations between Benghazi and Misrata, with service recently extended to include Malta. The vessel has transported almost 400 passengers from 50 agencies. In addition to aid workers, the vessel has carried in excess of 800 metric tons of cargo on behalf of more than 20 organizations. The goods delivered to date have included everything from food, clothing, and medicine to ambulances and demining equipment.
Over the past week, the Logistics Cluster has expanded the transportation service offered to the humanitarian community by augmenting the operational reach of the vessel to accommodate changes in the security situation by allowing for the delivery of critical relief supplies to Tripoli. As the conflict continues to evolve across Libya, the population of the capital city is facing immediate and serious water and food shortages. The first shipment destined for Tripoli, a total of 500,000 liters of potable water, is already on its way from Malta and, after offloading, the vessel will call at Sfax in Tunisia to pick up another load of water as well as other vital relief supplies headed for the capital.
For more information see: http://www.logcluster.org/ops/lby11a