The MSC Group and the MSC Foundation have organized an urgent response to support in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake in Türkiye and Syria.
In a statement, the Swiss logistics company said the effort is underway across the MSC family, and the company is also closely coordinating with the Turkish authorities, the Italian Foreign Ministry and the Vatican.
MSC noted that MSC Aurelia, normally used as a passenger and vehicle ferry, departed from the Port of Naples on February 16, heading for the port of Iskenderun (Alexandretta).
MSC Aurelia, with a cargo capacity of 40 trucks and 400+ cars, loaded basic necessities and first aid items collected by the MSC Group and the MSC Foundation, together with the Rava Foundation.
MSC noted that the cargo onboard 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.
"We express our gratitude to the EcoEridania Group for participating in the initiative with an in-kind donation and for assisting with logistics for the relief shipment," MSC said, adding that once it reaches its destination, the MSC Aurelia will be available as emergency accommodation, providing the 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 — also known as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) — a further 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 other cities hit hardest by the earthquake and will be at the disposal of the relief workers already onsite caring for survivors.
Furthermore, MSC Türkiye has set up temporary accommodation at Iskenderun port using empty containers for 300 MSC Group employees and their families who unfortunately lost their homes in the earthquake disaster.
MSC said MSC Türkiye is also arranging for the distribution of food, beverages and items to meet basic needs.
In the same way, the MSC Group, in cooperation with the Turkish Ministry of Internal Affairs, is carrying and providing thousands of empty containers to four of Türkiye’s hardest-hit provinces: Adıyaman, Gaziantep, Hatay and Kahramanmaraş.
It said the containers would provide temporary shelter for the earthquake survivors.
The support of the MSC Group and the MSC Foundation also includes a global fundraising campaign among employees of the group.
MSC noted that every donation by an employee of MSC will be matched by the MSC Foundation and will be used to support organizations working on reconstruction projects in Türkiye and Syria.
"We feel a strong sense of obligation to act promptly in order to support the people most in need by all means ... As soon as the terrible earthquake in Türkiye and Syria struck, we immediately took action to collect funds, supplies and food, which we could deliver on our ships within a short period of time," said Daniela Picco, executive director of the MSC Foundation.
