MSF was planning to ship some 180 tonnes from Larnaca to Lebanon, but
was experiencing serious difficulties in finding reliable
transportation since very few boats are willing to sail to Lebanon
given the conflict. This why we offered the use of the Rainbow Warrior,
which was already in the Mediterranean. However, delivery to Beirut is
only the first step in an arduous journey to those in need. (For more
about the work of MSF in Lebanon and other parts of the world
go to
www.msf.org).
"MSF is pleased to have drugs, medical supplies, baby milk and relief
goods transported to Beirut by the Rainbow Warrior, however, this is
only the first step", said Bart Rijs, of MSF in Beirut. "Our teams will
have to get these supplies from the harbour to the people who need them
most: to the displaced, but also to those who remain in the south.
MSF's teams will try to bring supplies to the hospitals and to the
people in the areas were the bombardment and the fighting are the
worst."
Not designed for cargo transport, the Rainbow Warrior has capacity for
transporting 40 tonnes, equivalent to 105 pallets. The trip from
Larnaca to Beirut takes around 16 hours. In total each trip takes some
35 hours, including up to 3 hours to off load in Beirut. To minimize
security risk the Israeli and the Lebanese authorities are informed of
each crossing.
It is not yet clear how many more rotations the Rainbow Warrior will make for MSF.
Médecins Sans Frontières has over 40 international staff running fixed
and mobile clinics, supplying hospitals and clinics with drugs, and
delivering relief goods in areas that are severely affected by the
conflict. Reaching the most affected populations with the aid continues
to be a major challenge.