Resolve Marine Sets Up Water Treatment Plant for Bahamas Relief
Resolve Marine Group said Friday that it has shipped a barge with a 5,000-gallon-per-day water purification plant to Grand Bahama Island, where public infrastructure was badly damaged by Hurricane Dorian and emergency water supplies are needed.
The plant system, consisting of three reverse osmosis water purifiers and associated support systems, left Port Everglades and has arrived in Freeport Harbor, where Resolve Maritime Group is planning to set up operations to deliver potable water to affected areas. Once fully operational, the water plant’s distribution process will reduce the reliance on water in plastic bottles, lessening waste.
Resolve and its humanitarian subsidiary, Mission Resolve, have already been working to help the Bahamas for some time. While Dorian was still active, Resolve and its response partners activated a vessel and a hydrographic survey team. In the Bahamas, the survey team quickly evaluated Freeport Harbor, helping to prepare for the arrival of relief vessels. In addition, Resolve deployed a drone and helicopter aerial survey team to assess critical infrastructure needs and provide documentation to clients, partners and governmental agencies. The resulting hydrographic and aerial surveys enabled the Port of Freeport to reopen for emergency traffic quickly once Hurricane Dorian had departed.
“We have been through so many of these disasters being one of the first teams to respond; therefore, we did not need to wait for the calls for help, we knew what to expect,” said Joe Farrell, Jr., president and CEO of Resolve Marine Group. “The Resolve Marine Group and Mission Resolve have been fortunate to have so many private partners and assets reach out to us as we move forward in the Bahamas’ recovery.”
MSC and South Carolina Ports send aid
In South Carolina, MSC Group - the parent company of number-two ocean carrier MSC - worked with industry partners to fill two 40-foot containers with relief supplies and deliver them to Grand Bahama Island.
MSC requested assistance from major industry partners to quickly fill two 40-foot shipping containers in Charleston, South Carolina with relief supplies to send to Freeport.
Maritime industry partners helped to fill the shipping containers with over 200 gas generators, tarps, gas cans, canopy tents, power cords, extension cords, batteries, water, toiletries, baby wipes, diapers, cleaning supplies and other related items. The containers were filled Saturday through Monday by industry partners in Charleston and loaded on a vessel in Port Everglades on Monday night. They arrived at the Port of Freeport Tuesday morning, and the goods are now being distributed. MSC has a local presence in Freeport: its terminal operations subsidiary runs the port's busy container terminal through a joint venture with Hutchison Ports.
“MSC is ultimately a family company and we are fully committed to supporting both immediate and longer-term relief and recovery efforts in the Bahamas,” said Fabio Santucci, Managing Director MSC USA. “MSC’s extensive land and sea operations and services, our regional knowledge and our gracious partners have allowed us to quickly mobilize to collect and deliver these items of necessity.”
The contributing industry partners included the South Carolina Ports Authority, the South Atlantic and Gulf Coast District of the International Longshoremen’s Association, Virginia Ports Authority, PortMiami, Port of Houston, Stevedoring Services of America and the Maritime Association of South Carolina, among many others.
“In Charleston, we understand the devastation a hurricane can have on entire communities,” South Carolina Ports Authority president and CEO Jim Newsome said. "After seeing Hurricane Dorian’s distressing impacts on the Bahamas, we wanted to take action and send crucial supplies in the hopes of providing some relief.”
Cruise lines contribute
The cruise industry has deep ties in the Bahamas, and cruise operators were among the first to step forward to pledge relief assistance. Carnival Corporation, Disney Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line and Norwegian Cruise Line have all promised a million dollars or more in aid supplies, aid delivery and charitable donations.
Carnival Cruise Line said Friday that it is still using some of the space aboard its ships to deliver aid for Grand Bahama and the Abaco Islands. Two ships from the brand – Carnival Liberty and Carnival Pride – have made stops this week in Freeport to deliver relief supplies to assist residents, including dozens of pallets of water, generators, chain saws, prepared meals and medical supplies. Carnival is also working with Tropical Shipping and the Bahamas National Emergency Agency (NEMA) to collect donations of food and relief supplies for transport. Through this effort, an estimated 335 tons of food and relief supplies have been delivered to Freeport to date.
With assistance from a charitable non-profit, a much smaller operator - Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line, which operates the vessel Grand Celebration - is planning its second dedicated relief sailing to the Bahamas. The non-profit, called Bahamas Relief Cruise, has raised $540,000 out of its goal of $1 million as of Friday.
The Grand Celebration's departure was scheduled for Friday, but the line said that poor weather conditions had forced a delay. A newly-formed storm system is entering the region, and will likely bring tropical storm force winds and heavy rainfaill to portions of the northwestern Bahamas on Saturday, according to the National Hurricane Center.