Freight industry opens its heart to India's plight

9 Feb 2001 - By Staff reporter

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Over 300t of goods loaded
for earthquake victims
Terry Hutson

IT TOOK a call from the Department of Foreign Affairs to Maersk Sealand last week to trigger a response bringing dozens of benefactors together to assist those suffering as a result of the devastating earthquake in India a week earlier.
The triggering was rather sudden because the South Africa Navy had a ship about to leave for India, SAS Drakensberg, which was scheduled to take part in the International Fleet Review in Mumbai on February 17, celebrating India's 51st anniversary of independence.
The department advised Maersk Sealand that the ship would be calling in Durban within two days to load relief supplies, and requested that the line supply several empty containers to carry quantities of confiscated clothing from the state warehouse. The SA Revenue Services had agreed to donate these goods, which had been cluttering up an overcrowded warehouse, some of which, ironically, had originated in India.
A committee comprising the Navy, Portnet, which waived all marine charges, Maersk Sealand, the 1860 Heritage Society and several other role players began hastily organising the project, while appeals for further donations went out on local radio stations.
When it heard the news, Capespan weighed in by offering its warehousing, stevedoring and container stuffing facilities at the Durban Export Terminal.
By Saturday the warehouse, normally full of citrus fruit in season, was humming as car and truck-loads of donated goods arrived from as far afield as the Free State.
Eventually the ship loaded over 300 tonnes of goods including six containers, and breakbulk consisting of blankets, clothing, tinned foods, bagged meal and sundry other products. This was despite a sudden thunderstorm which threatened to delay matters. Eventually everything was safely on board, leaving the ship to get underway on schedule for her appointment in India.