In Sri Lanka, under contract to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), FPS Lanka is moving in excess of 130 truckloads of supplies to the north of the island state to aid civilians affected by the 26 years of fi ghting that accompanied the Tamil Tiger insurgency over which Sri Lanka declared victory in May.

The initial contract is for three months, with the possibility of renewal, to move humanitarian goods to a number of camps in the north and north east of the country. These camps are equipped with ICRC warehousing that will be supplied by 20’ containers packed with items such as food, medicines, sanitation materials, garments and building supplies. Much of this material arrives in Sri Lanka as part of international humanitarian aid and is consolidated by the Red Cross at its warehouse located near the capital, Colombo, before transport to the region.

The successful completion of this contract clearly demonstrates FPS Lanka’s wide portfolio of freight handling skills and experience and the ambition of the company’s management is that this contract leads to a long-term involvement in humanitarian relief efforts on the island.

FPS Lanka is tasked with moving the material from Colombo to destination camps that are more than 250 km from the capital. These journeys require strict security clearances and Red Cross escorts. In order to guarantee a successful arrival and to mitigate any traffi c mishaps en route, the trucks move in convoys of around a dozen vehicles at a time.