Venezuela Sends 5,000 Tons of Humanitarian Aid to Cuba After Hurricane Melissa

Venezuela has sent a new shipment of humanitarian aid to Cuba, with more than 5,000 tons of food, medicine, supplies, and toys destined for the areas affected by Hurricane Melissa.

The vessel set sail from the international port of La Guaira on Saturday, November 8, as part of an action coordinated by the Venezuelan government and channeled through the ALBA Bank.

Containers carrying food and other supplies being loaded on to the ship Manuel Gual in the port of La Guaira, Venezuela. Photo: Ministry of Transport of Venezuela.

Shipment contents
The ship Manuel Gual is carrying 102 containers of essential supplies for the provinces of Santiago de Cuba, Granma, Holguín, Las Tunas, and Guantánamo, which were struck by the Category 3 Hurricane Melissa late October.

In addition to the cargo, a team of electrical workers is traveling to help restore basic services in the hardest-hit areas.

Hurricane Melissa: Venezuela Sends Humanitarian Aid to Cuba and Jamaica

Official statements and bilateral cooperation
Venezuelan deputy minister for Latin America, Rander Peña, stated that the dispatch of humanitarian aid represents “a direct expression of solidarity and concrete support for Cuba on behalf of the Venezuelan people.”

“These are the ships that leave Venezuela and sail the Caribbean Sea, ships full of solutions, hope, and life,” he said.

The Cuban ambassador in Caracas, Jorge Luis Mayo, thanked the gesture and highlighted the continuity of cooperation between the two countries.

“The union between the Venezuelan and Cuban peoples is the consolidation of assistance that you are reinforcing today after this hurricane,” he said.

This is the shipment of aid, after another 26-ton air shipment left for Cuba on October 30. These actions are part of the regional assistance strategy promoted by Venezuela in the spirit of solidarity to mitigate climate emergencies.

(Últimas Noticias)

Translation: Orinoco Tribune

OT/SC/DZ