‘Mulberry harbour’ devised for Haitian relief
The remaining 12 boxes aboard the container ship Macajama were transported by water to Port-au-Prince, the devastated capital of Haiti, to be offloaded in an experimental lightering operation and delivered across a beach. If successful, future shipments could be made directly to Port-au-Prince.
The Crowley plan calls for the Macajama anchor offshore near the port's damaged south pier and near the exposed beach. Using a shipboard crane on the Macajama, the 12 remaining containers would be lowered onto a smaller vessel operated by G and G Shipping and delivered across the beach on wheels.
A team from Crowley's Titan Salvage subsidiary surveyed the port area last week and determined that such an operation was possible. They also determined that it would be possible to establish a temporary docking structure on the beach using a Crowley 400 foot long by 100 foot wide flat deck barge.
Crowley mobilized the barge ‘410’ and a crane from Orange, Texas that could be used for cargo discharge, and plans to have both on the scene in Port-au-Prince on or about 2 February. Crowley has extensive experience designing solutions to complex challenges, and has delivered a multitude of large production modules, equipment and supplies across beaches for energy companies in the Russian Far East, Alaska's North Slope and West Africa.
A new wave of Haiti relief supplies in approximately 100 20foot containers was being loaded last week at Crowley's Port Everglades facility on the Ro-Ro ship ‘Crowley Americas’ and was be transported to Rio Haina for delivery on Saturday.
Those containers, also moving under contract with USTRANSCOM, were consolidated and stuffed at Crowley's Miami warehouse. They will be trucked across the border into Haiti.
The Macajama was scheduled to return to Port Everglades over the weekend and load more relief cargo, which could be delivered directly to Port-au-Prince this week if the test lightering operation is proved successful.
As announced immediately after the 12 January earthquake, Crowley has suspended indefinitely its regularly scheduled commercial cargo services to and from Haiti. The situation there remains unstable and Crowley's priority remains getting relief supplies to the people impacted by the devastating earthquake. Crowley continues to offer its twice weekly service to and from the Dominican Republic.
Those wishing to contribute humanitarian supplies to Haiti's relief effort should do so by contacting non-profit organizations such as Food for the Poor or Catholic Relief Services.
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- ‘Mulberry harbour’ devised for Haitian relief
