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Her Majesty Jamaica Ship (HMJS) MIDDLESEX loaded with cargo docked in Port Santiago de Cuba on the afternoon of Saturday 20 September 2008, after sailing from JDF Coast Guard Headquarters in Port Royal for fifteen hours with humanitarian aid for the hurricane ravaged island.

Bienvenidos! Bienvenidos a Santiago de Cuba! were familiar salutations heard as representatives of the Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Coast Guard welcomed the Jamaican team.

Lieutenant Commander Paul Wright, Captain of the Ship, along with a team from the ODPEM, through an interpreter, Lieutenant (jg) Cleon Muir (who was also the navigator) handed over the gift on behalf of the Government of Jamaica.

Mr Vicente Gonzalez, who accepted the relief supplies on behalf of the Cuban Government, thanked Jamaica for its kind gesture. "It's very important that we receive help from foreign countries and we value very much the humanitarian action, and we will ensure that the people that have been affected receive this help.” Gonzalez saw the aid as timely as he lamented the loss suffered by Cuba pointing out that about seven persons died and over 400 000 houses destroyed.

A journalist, Angel Beltran, who was also one of Gonzalez’s translators, said that they were seriously affected by the hurricanes and praised Jamaica for its assistance. “You are very kind. I like Jamaica. You have very fine people,” he continued with his limited knowledge of English. Beltran worked at the Cuban Embassy in Kingston in 1974/5 as the first Press Attaché.

The items delivered to the Cubans included canned and other non-perishable foods, pharmaceuticals, bedding and water. It took six hours to off-load the supplies, filling 2 x 40 ft containers and ½ x 20ft containers. The 15-member crew along with personnel from Cuba assisted in the off-loading process. But Commander Wright said that it took a much longer time to upload the vessel. “It took over two days to get all the cargo on. The 15-member crew all played their roles in making the process a smooth one,” said the Captain of MIDDLESEX.

The Jamaica Defence Force Coast Guard has been very busy in conveying relief items on behalf of the Government of Jamaica and private entities to its neighbours since the activation of the hurricane season with the passage of two major hurricanes, Gustav and Ike. While Gustav was only a tropical storm when it passed through Jamaica creating some damages in Eastern Jamaica, along with Ike, wreaked havoc in the northern Caribbean islands of Haiti and Cuba. On the weekend of 12 Sept 2008 Haiti received a shipload of humanitarian aid to include mattresses, non-perishable foods and water.

This mission was co-coordinated by the Office of the Prime Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management along with several private sector companies.