A humanitarian shipment carrying 88 containers of emergency relief supplies has left Georgetown for earthquake-hit Venezuela, with officials describing the operation as a regional effort supported by seven Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member states.
The Motti vessel, provided by the BK Group of Companies, left BK Wharf in Kingston, Georgetown on Tuesday carrying emergency supplies, including 300 water tanks, pharmaceuticals, food, cleaning materials and two pieces of earth-moving equipment.
The shipment forms part of a humanitarian response initiated by President Irfaan Ali and supported by seven CARICOM countries, the Guyanese private sector and members of the Venezuelan community living in Guyana.
Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh, who witnessed the vessel’s departure, said the operation reflected both national and regional support for Venezuela.
“What we see today is not only the mobilisation made by the government of Guyana but also contributions made by seven member states of CARICOM. I want, on President Ali’s behalf, to acknowledge the generosity of all those who supported this initiative,” Singh said.
He said the cargo included “earth-moving equipment, pharmaceutical and medicinal supplies, food supplies, including Guyanese rice, cleaning materials and other emergency items typically needed after a disaster of this nature.”
“Venezuela is our neighbour, and the Venezuelan people are our neighbours. So, we consider this to be the least that we could do in this moment of tragedy,” he added.
Singh said the vessel is expected to reach Venezuela within four days, with distribution of the supplies to be coordinated through an international humanitarian relief effort.
Minister of Public Utilities and Aviation Deodat Indar said Guyana’s response was driven by humanitarian considerations and regional cooperation.
“When your neighbour faces a natural catastrophe, it is only the human thing to do to respond. President Ali committed that Guyana would help, and Guyana has risen to that challenge. The private sector, the Venezuelan community here, and our CARICOM brothers and sisters all came together to fill this massive vessel behind us,” Indar said.
He said the Motti, which has a cargo capacity of about 1,500 tonnes, would deliver the supplies in collaboration with international partners to ensure they reached affected communities.
“The need is great, and we are Venezuela’s closest neighbour. This is a testament to Guyana standing firm as a partner during this crisis,” he said.
Director General of the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), Colonel (Ret’d) Nazrul Hussain, said relief items had been collected from all 10 administrative regions of Guyana following the president’s appeal for assistance.
“Over a little more than a week, we were able to amass a considerable amount of relief supplies, amounting to about 88 containers. This became a consolidated CARICOM effort with Guyana taking the lead,” Hussain said.
He said contributions were also received from Grenada, The Bahamas, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia, Belize and Jamaica, in addition to donations from the Guyanese private sector and the Venezuelan community in Guyana.
According to Hussain, the shipment consists primarily of food, medical supplies, non-perishable goods, water tanks and two earth-moving machines donated by Ansa McAL.
“It demonstrates how quickly Guyana and our regional partners were able to mobilise and consolidate support for our neighbour in a time of need,” he said. (CMC)
