WILLEMSTAD - At the request of the Venezuelan authorities, HNLMS Pelican departed from Curaçao on Tuesday, 1 September, bound for the Venezuelan port of La Guaira. The ship is delivering drinking water to the area following the devastating earthquakes of late June.
The support vessel is carrying 70,000 litres of drinking water in its own tanks, supplemented by 150 pallets of bottled water, equivalent to an additional 150,000 litres. HNLMS Pelican is equipped with a crane and a large cargo hold, making the logistics ship well suited for this relief mission.
This is not the first contribution by Defence Caribbean Region to the relief effort following the earthquakes. In late June, the patrol vessel HNLMS Groningen already delivered tens of thousands of kilograms of aid supplies to the affected areas, including drinking water, food and medical supplies for the injured and those who had lost their homes.
Defence Caribbean Region stands ready throughout the year to provide emergency assistance, primarily to the countries of the Kingdom, but also to other countries in the region when needed. This is particularly important during hurricane season. In addition to defending the Kingdom, providing assistance is one of the core tasks of Defence in the Caribbean region.
