£20m aid on its way to help disaster-hit Haiti
A fleet of Land Rovers and a team of army divers is part of a £20m aid package being sent to help Haiti.
Forty members of the army's Royal Logistic Corps have spent the last three days filling the Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship Largs Bay with supplies for the disaster-hit Caribbean island.
At the Sea Mounting Centre at Marchwood, near Southampton, yesterday all-terrain vehicles part-funded by public appeal were driven in to the 16,000-ton landing ship.
Her commanding officer Captain Ian Johnson said: 'We have all seen the pictures on TV, so it's heartening to be able to be a part of this international humanitarian effort.
'We cannot do it all, it's an immense task, but I'm sure we can make a positive difference.'
Largs Bay is due to leave Marchwood tomorrow and is expected in Haiti on February 15.
Her presence was requested by the United Nations and came after The News reported how RFA Fort George had been removed from the Caribbean to cut costs.
The Department for International Development is co-ordinating the aid delivery, and said the ship would fulfil a much-needed longer term role.
DfID spokesman Phil Marker said: 'We sent a humanitarian response team within 48 hours of the earthquake hitting Haiti. The aid we are sending now will be used in the coming months to get the country on its feet.
'The most important supplies we are delivering are shelter materials including 55 tons of corrugated iron, transport in the form of the Land Rovers and equipment to help rebuild Port-au-Prince.
'It will be used by the aid teams there first and eventually we hope the Haitians will take on its running.'
The aid is worth 20m in total.
Warrant Officer (First Class) Jamie Secker, 36, of the army's 17 Port Maritime Regiment, said: 'We've got a lot of kit which can really help on the ground and five divers to assess the underwater picture.
'The aim is to get Haiti on the road to recovery.'
The navy has been involved in several aid operations around the world in recent years.
RFA Wave Ruler went to the rescue in the Caribbean after Hurricane Ike in 2008 and RFA Diligence was sent to help Sri Lanka after the December 2004 tsunami.
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Friday 25 May 2012
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