Carriers offer assistance in Haiti

Carriers offer assistance in Haiti    Shipping companies said they are continuing to assist relief efforts in Haiti.
   Trailer Bridge said the U.S. Military Sealift Command has contracted to use one of its vessels for at least 90 days to support government relief efforts. It has also partnered with a customer to provide free transportation and trailers for donated medical supplies to Port-au-Prince via Trailer Bridge’s service to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.
   Trailer Bridge expect its donated trailers will remain in Haiti for local use or storage. A Jacksonville warehousing provider has also donated its services to make the move possible. Trailer Bridge will coordinate the freight move, which is to leave from Jacksonville, Fla., Friday.
   CMA CGM said it will work with the World Food Program and Doctors without Borders by providing containers to transport emergency equipment to Haiti via the Dominican Republic.
   The French carrier is also the majority owner of the South Florida Container Terminal in Miami, and the company said its cranes will be used at no cost to load vessels that are transporting cargo to Haiti. The company is also making containers available to the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs to transport goods.
   Royal Caribbean Cruises said it would provide $1 million in humanitarian relief to Haiti. And in a move that got a mixed reaction from customers, said it would continue to have its vessels to call at its resort in Labadee on the north coast, on the opposite side of Haiti from Port-au-Prince where last week’s earthquake caused the most devastation. Three vessels from the company were due to visit Labadee this week, and they were scheduled to bring relief goods such as rice, dried beans, powdered milk, water and canned goods as well as vacationers.
   While the idea of having a holiday in a country devastated by an earthquake caused discomfort for some, Richard D. Fain, Royal Caribbean’s chief executive officer, said his company “wants to do its part to help out not only the general response, but also our hundreds of Haitian employees and their families through this disaster. In addition to our financial contribution, Royal Caribbean will continue to provide economic support through the continuous business we bring to Labadee.”