The MSC Group and MSC Foundation have organised an urgent response to support the people of Turkey and Syria in the aftermath of the recent earthquake, the deadliest natural disaster in Turkey's modern history.
On February 16, the ship MSC Aurelia, normally used as a passenger and vehicle ferry, departed from the Port of Naples heading for the Turkish port of Iskenderun (Alexandretta).
MSC Aurelia, with a cargo capacity of 40 trucks and more than 400 cars, has been loaded with basic necessities and first aid items with help from international humanitarian organisation, the Francesca Rava Foundation. The cargo on board includes 60 pallets of medical supplies, food, hygiene items, warm clothing, and blankets, as well as toys and crayons for children. An additional 50 boxes of thermal shirts are being carried on behalf of the Vatican.
Once it reaches its destination, the MSC Aurelia will be available as emergency accommodation, providing impacted communities with over 1 000 beds and leisure spaces, including a restaurant and cinema, as well as video game entertainment for children.
In addition, thanks to the collaboration between the MSC Foundation and the UN Refugee Agency, 100 containers carrying first aid supplies, including blankets, mattresses, sleeping bags, kitchen sets, jerry cans, and lamps are departing from Jordan via Haifa, the headquarters of the UN Refugee Agency’s warehouses. The containers will be destined for Gaziantep and cities hit hardest by the earthquake and will be at the disposal of relief workers onsite caring for survivors.
Furthermore, MSC Turkey has set up temporary accommodation at the Iskenderun port using empty containers for 300 MSC Group employees and their families who have lost their homes in the earthquake disaster. MSC Turkey is also arranging for the distribution of food, beverages, and items to meet basic needs.
The MSC Group, in co-operation with the Turkish Ministry of Internal Affairs, is carrying and providing thousands of empty containers to four of Turkey’s hardest-hit provinces: Adıyaman, Gaziantep, Hatay, and Kahramanmaraş. The containers will provide temporary shelter for earthquake survivors.
